Perfect Love Song
by LoveforPenandDerek
Summary: Short story series. New story- Penelope is forced away from the BAU.
1. Favorite Welcome Home

The Perfect Love Song

**Premise: **a series of short stories inspired by you tube videos of Penelope and Derek.

Titleof this series comes from lyrics in the song "Did I Ever Tell You?" by Nick Lachey.

**Favorite Welcome Home **

The minute he stepped foot back inside the BAU there was just one place he wanted to go and just one person he wanted to see. Their latest case had been a week spent in California dealing with a sadist child molester and killer. Every second of working it had wore at him till he was now nothing more than a bunch of frayed, raw, exposed nerves.

Even though there was a distance between them as of late he didn't let that concern in his brain overrule the need in his heart. He walked straight to her computer lab, knocked once on the door and said "Baby girl." He went inside with a half grin on his lips.

The room was dark. His heart sunk. She had gone home already.

***********

"Hey," Reid asked him as Derek headed back into the bull pen "when does your flight leave for Chicago?"

"Seven am tomorrow."

"Have a good trip."

"Yeah, thanks," he said, his jaw tense.

He should be glad they were getting a few days off-so close to Christmas too- and that he'd be able to see his family around the holidays but at that moment his body was just too wore down, his mind too weary, and his pain too severe to get excited about the trip.

He'd rather be here with Penelope. She had a way of making his lousy moods fade away in an instant. When he was near her there was never anything so bad that she couldn't make it better for him.

But she would be busy during their off time. She'd probably spend every minute of it with Lynch.

That train of thought would only put Derek in a decidedly worst mood so he pushed it out of his head.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he headed down the hall and approached the door of his own office. A room that daily had come to mean to him that he was more divided from the people he cared about and more isolated than ever. His ambition told him he belonged in this office but his heart told him he should run from it because it was only keeping him more lonely than anything.

Maybe he shouldn't put that on his job. It was how he acted since the promotion-trying to be more aloof and professional- that left him feeling cold inside. He was trying to prove himself in that position but he often wondered if the position was worth the cost.

A sigh escaped his lips as he got nearer to his office. He noticed a desk lamp was on- because there was some light escaping under the door. With a raised eyebrow he opened the door.

Immediately a laugh bubbled up in his chest and escaped his lips. Penelope was sitting in his chair, wearing a Santa hat, and on his desk was a small lighted plush Christmas tree.

He asked her "What are you up to, silly girl?"

"You haven't done a thing to decorate for the holidays around here so I took it upon myself."

She rose from the seat and walked around the desk. His eyes took in her figure, as he always did, loving the way she looked and the way he felt when he looked at her. She turned him on in ways that no other woman could ever hope to do.

Penelope pushed a button on the Christmas tree and it played Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Derek let out another laugh. This is just what he needed. "Strauss will think I'm really mature if she sees that."

"Well its just us here right now, handsome. Tell me you don't find it absolutely adorable."

"I love it. Thank you, baby girl."

She headed for the door. "Merry Christmas."

Watching her leave, and feeling a panic bubble up in him that their time together was already over and he wouldn't be seeing her again for days, he said to her "Slow your roll."

She froze and then turned around.

He smiled and asked her "Aren't you gonna give me a kiss goodbye, sweetness? I'm leaving for my Mom's in the morning." Derek pointed to his cheek.

Penelope smiled softly, slowly made her way back to him, he bent slightly and her lips brushed his cheek. Then he pulled her into a hug while saying "You know you're my salvation, right?"

Her eyes searched his. "Still?"

"Always. My salvation, my sanity, my solace...." he just shook his head, not able to put it all into words. "Don't ever give up on me, baby girl."

"As mad as I ever get at you, handsome, I don't think I could ever get so mad that I'd turn my back on you when you need me." She eased back more and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "I should get home."

"Have a good Christmas, sexy mama."

"You too, my love."

After she was gone he sat on the edge of his desk and pressed the button to make the tree play the song. A smile curved over his lips.

God, he loved that woman. She made everything in his world better. It had been crazy to think of taking that job in New York, just because he couldn't put up with seeing her with Lynch another damn day. Derek had been wrong and he realized it before he ever accepted the position. He could handle seeing her with Lynch. He could handle anything it took to keep her in his life.

Just as long as he had his baby girl he would be all right. The rest of the world could fall apart around him but with her there....joking, flirting, smiling, hugging him and keeping him strong...it would never get so bad that he would think about leaving it all behind again.

Penelope was his home and Derek didn't plan to ever let that change.

**THE END **

Story inspired by the song Welcome Home. Sung by Stan Van Samang. You tube mvid by SaraVanWijick.

**Author Note-** I've just stared watching this show last month but I fell in love with these characters so bear with me if I should happen to get some things wrong. I adore this pairing so much that I want to write for them, as I go back now and watch all the seasons I've missed. I want the characterizations right so let me know what isn't ringing true, in a nice way, and I'll work to make it better in the next story. False characterizations aren't acceptable to me. I know I shouldn't dabble in a fandom I just discovered but Pen and Derek are too perfect for words and I need to play with them.

I've already written a few more one shots that are more romantic in nature.

Storyline note- the Christmas tree used in this is the kind you find at The Hallmark Store.


	2. Everytime She's Close By

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this fic and especially to the people who reviewed the first story in this series. I was having problems logging in so I couldn't respond to each review.**

**Second story: Every Time That's She's Close By**

"Night, Garcia," Derek said, nodding his head at her as he walked by, while they were both getting ready to leave work one night.

"I'll show you a good night, handsome."

He had already walked past but he stopped, cocked his head to the side, and looked back. It had been a while since she threw back that kind of response at him and he had missed it. "You seem in a really good mood."

She walked right up to him. "Something happened a few weeks ago and I've finally processed it."

"What's that?"

"Kevin and I called it quits."

A smile curved his lips. "Oh yeah?" He tempered his own happiness so he could make sure she was all right. "Sorry to hear that. You okay?"

She looked happy enough about it that he didn't think she was crying her eyes out of her ex- a guy Derek never thought was in Penelope's league anyway.

"I think it's a really good thing for my future," she told him. "After all, everything happens for a reason, right? Being with Kevin was good, don't get me wrong, but it was never great, amazing, out of this world, mind blowing and I deserve that...don't you think?"

"You deserve all that and more, baby girl."

"So why don't you take me home with you and give me all that and more?" The way she asked it was flirty but her voice shook just enough for him to know she wasn't joking and this was far from easy for her. Far from meaningless. Far from wanting a one night stand.

His body immediately reacted to her suggestion. Lust and hunger- for years barely repressed around her...always right there ready to explode- surged through his veins. Leaning down so his lips were by her ear he said "Careful, woman, I just may call your bluff."

"If you think you've got what it takes then go for it, handsome."

Their eyes held for a long moment before he said, shortly, "Lets go."

He placed his hand on her back and moved her toward the doors. They already both had their coats on. Penelope startled and looked all around, as if everyone suddenly knew what they were up to, but she allowed him to guide her to the elevators and out of the building.

XXXXXXXXXX

The ride to his house was filled with a sizzling through the air sexual tension. They barely spoke at all except when they came to a certain intersection and he asked "You sure you don't want me to drop you at home?"

"Hot Stuff, I'm up for this if you are."

"I've been up for this for years now, Goddess."

When they got to his house though she was as skittish as a cat. Derek smirked at her jumpiness. She was adorable to him. His baby girl who he had wanted to call his own for years.

There were few things he wanted more than to make love to her but not like this. He didn't know if she was trying to get over Kevin, prove something to herself about how hot she truly was, or if this was about Derek and her feelings for him. He just knew he had to handle this delicately so she wasn't hurt.

This could be the start of something amazing for them and he would hate himself if he messed that up.

He asked her "You want a drink?"

"No. Yes. What do you think? Are you having a drink?"

He placed his hands on her arms. "Relax. Its just me."

"Just you? You're a chocolate God!"

He chuckled. "If you say so." He moved away from her and flipped on some more lights. Then he went to the back door and let his dog out into the backyard. When he came back Penelope was still acting jumpy.

Derek helped her out of her coat. The closeness of her was wrecking havoc on his senses. It hadn't been easy to resist her all these years but he never wanted them to get to this place a day too soon. After she hooked up with Lynch, Derek had feared that he waited too long. That all his chances were gone. But now it seemed there was one chance left. He planned to make the most out of it.

He hung her coat on a hook then walked to the couch. Patting the spot next to him he said "Get over here, sexy."

She slowly made her way across the room and sat down, facing straight ahead.

Derek placed a hand on her knee, in a comforting gesture, "You wanna talk about what happened with Lynch?"

"No. Not really. What's done is done, right? No use crying over spilled perfume."

"Look at me, baby."

She turned her head. Her eyes were wide and filled with insecurities. He asked "Are you here cause you wanna be with me or you want to forget about him? Cause he's not worth you hurting over and doing anything you'll regret later."

After a moment she asked, her tone cold, "You never had any intention of going through with this, did you? You just brought me here to get out of me what went wrong with Kevin. You know what, Derek, I don't need you to be my shoulder to cry on right now. I don't need your pity!"

"Penelope-"

She bounded to her feet. "I'll get a cab to go home."

He jumped up and took gentle hold of her arm. "Baby girl, wait. Don't walk out of here like this. I waited way too long to get this close and then have you walk away."

"Waited for what exactly? To see if I'd finally make good on all my flirting? To make me a notch on The Derek Morgan's bedpost? What have you been waiting for, huh? Because I seriously don't think we've been waiting for the same thing. Not at all."

She was quite worked up. Filled with fear and doubts and pain. Derek knew that Kevin was not the only guy who put those feelings into Penelope. Derek even blamed himself for some of her insecurities about herself. All he wanted was to take them away so she'd see herself as the gorgeous, brilliant Goddess he did.

He didn't want their first kiss to be anything less than perfect- and this moment was just a mess of confusion and hurt for her- but he saw this as maybe his last possible moment when she'd let him in this way so he took her face in his hands, bent close, and then gave her a tender kiss full of his love for her.

A kiss he prayed showed her his heart.

When he pulled back she had a dazed and dreamy look in her eyes. He said "Waited for that....I've been waiting, baby, to give you all of me."

A trace of tears came to her eyes but she fought believing it. "You haven't waited at all. You've always had a string of skinny little things to keep you busy."

"Distractions, that's all. But nobody ever came close to the real thing...that's all for you, baby girl."

"Derek?" she asked, her voice breaking, as she dared to believe in his words.

Pulling her close he said "Never doubt it when I tell you I love you. I've been miserable for two years now waiting out you breaking things off with Lynch. I thought you were his for good, baby, and it was killing me."

She looked up and into his eyes. Her hand caressed his cheek. "How could I settle for being his for the rest of my life when I'm dying to be yours, my love?"

He let out a possessive soft growl. "That's what I wanna hear, baby girl." He kissed her again, this time with more passion, and his tongue slid into the warmth of her mouth.

A part of his heart that was closed off, scared to death she'd never be his, came back to life in that moment.

They fell onto the couch and kept kissing for long minutes. Her hands roamed over his chest and he loved how it felt...because it was her. That made everything more intense than he had ever known.

He stopped them before they went too far. Her glasses were all fogged up and crooked. He chuckled, took them off her, cleaned them and put them back on her face. "Give me a minute, baby," he said.

Derek went and let back in his dog, Clooney, who ran over to the couch to lick Penelope's hand. Before Derek came back to the couch he grabbed his lap top. "Think you can do your magic and book another seat to Chicago on my flight in the morning?"

Her mouth dropped. "Are you asking me...to go to your Mom's for Christmas with you?"

"Yeah, baby, I don't want to spend three days without you. Besides my ma wants to meet the woman whose name comes out of my mouth every other minute when I call her."

Penelope smiled. "That's sweet of you, handsome, but this holiday is for family."

"Baby girl, you're where my family starts and the line forms after you."

"But..." she said, unable to believe him right away "lately its been so strained between us...and though tonight is magical in every way...its just one night....and a few kisses. We've barely gotten started on...whatever this is."

He took her hand. "That's true but I still want you to come home with me. If you don't want to then that's okay but know when I get back I want to pick up right where we left off," he leaned close to her "which, as I remember it, baby, was right here." His lips fused to hers. After pulling back he whispered, his tone low and throaty, "Come to Chicago with me, baby girl."

"I can't refuse you anything, my Adonis."

A huge grin curved his lips. He gave her another quick kiss. "You came through on your promise: I'll show you a good night, handsome."

"Derek," she said, as she chuckled at how happy he was and it was all over her.

"You being here is the best Christmas present in the world. No lie."

She shook her head, but smiled, amazed at how he felt about her.

Derek asked "Tell me something, did you and Lynch breaking up have anything to do with me?"

"You sure do think a lot of yourself, handsome."

"You don't have to answer that question if its out of line."

"I can answer. It had to do with a lot but...yes...you played a role. I just couldn't keep pretending that he was enough for me....when I don't see Kevin in my dreams....I see you, Derek."

Grinning he pulled her onto his lap and went about kissing her till she was breathless. It would be another long month of building towards it before they made love but by that time Penelope had no doubts that The Derek Morgan wanted her to be his woman for life.

THE END

Inspired by Wild Love Affair. Sung by Soul Sister. Mvid by SarahVanWijck.


	3. Nothing New

**Third Story: Nothing New**

Derek Morgan had been slapped across the face more than once because of his wicked thoughts about Penelope Garcia.

Never by his baby girl. No, it was by other women that Derek dated who didn't like the look that came into his eyes when he mentioned Penelope.

He was reminded of just how hot he was for her, all over again, when she walked into work one day in a sexy dress that was just a little too much for him to handle. Sure she still had on all her wild jewelry and the dress had a crazy print to it. She looked like herself in it. Not like she was trying to impress him. Yet this particular dress hugged her just right and he nearly growled in appreciation of how damn good she looked when he saw her that day.

It was nothing new for him to be filled to the brim with lust over her. Same thing, different day.

His eyes followed her across the bull pen. He was sitting on a desk, making casual chit chat with Reid, but he lost his train of thought at the sight of her in that dress.

For the millionth time he decided he was an idiot to not try and get her to date him the day they met. Back then he wanted to stay professional at work and that made her off limits. Not that he resisted the temptation very well. He pushed the limits with flirting with her. He was always nearly at the end of his rope when it came to being able to resist kissing her. Somehow he found new reserves of strength each day but it was hard as hell to keep pulling off over the years.

"Talk to you later, kid," Derek told Reid, as he stood up and headed straight for Penelope's computer lab.

Once inside he told her "Baby girl, that dress should be illegal. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

She spun around in her chair and looked at him. Her red painted lips pursed sexily."You like, my love?"

"Don't try and pretend you didn't put it on this morning wondering how long it would take, after I saw it, for me to start thinking about taking it off you. I know how your mind works."

"Do you, handsome? Or do you just hope against all hope I want you as bad as you want me?"

He advanced toward her. "In that dress its no contest. I want you way worse right now. Baby girl, you got to give me a break, please," he teased. "I can't concentrate if you're looking this damn good around this office."

"I have to concentrate everyday with you looking like a Greek God, its only fair you occasionally see me in something a little more....distracting."

"I'm very distracted, woman. So distracted I wish I could get you somewhere alone right now."

"Maybe one day, my love."

"I'll hold you to that one," he said with a wide grin as he walked back out of her office.

XXXXXXXXX

That night he suggested they all hit the bar. His mind had been consumed all day with fantasies of taking Penelope up against all the flat surfaces in the BAU- the private ones that is, cause he sure didn't want an audience.

Since the whole place was wired with cameras it kept Derek, for years now, from acting on his desires when he saw her at work. They became friends and it got complicated. He wanted more than sex now. A lot more. He wanted to love her and cherish her- something he never even tried to do with any other woman before.

More than that he just wanted her happy though. So he wouldn't use her for sex now, even if he had the chance.

Still he was hot for her. So hot. All day long he was just under his boiling point and trying not to let it show to his co-workers.

When they were at the bar he found himself alone at the table with Penelope. "You wanna dance, baby girl?"

"Here?"

"This is where we are."

"I would feel too exposed."

"If you're in my arms why would your mind be on anything but me?" He held out his hand to her. "Trust me to take care of you, sweetheart."

Reluctantly she let him take her onto the dance floor. Holding her soft, curvy body against his felt so right that his heart turned over in his chest. It ached for her. She was all he ever knew about love. No other woman was love for him.

That was all and only Penelope Garcia's territory in his heart.

"Mmm," he said, with his mouth against her hair, "this dress needs to be retired. Its just too much for me, woman. Its like a weapon I got no defense against."

She chuckled. "Come on, Derek, its nothing special."

"On you its way too hot for words. You just don't know how my self control is slipping more and more lately."

"Sure it is. I'll believe it when I see it. You seem like your usual self to me. Big talker but no action."

"Keep wearing that dress and you'll see my self control crumble, believe that."

XXXXXXXXXX

That night Penelope got a ride home with the other women. Derek had to be satisfied with having a hot fantasy about taking her back to her place and kissing her in the hall, against the door, stumbling inside and ripping that dress off her. Kissing every place he dreamed about kissing for years and showing her he was the man who she needed to make her man.

A few months went by and then she wore the dress again. They were out of town for a case and she had come along this time. They ended up getting snowed in so they stayed in the hotel another night. The team met for dinner. Derek was at the table when she walked in, clad in his favorite dress ever with a flirty look in her eye.

All dinner long the team had to endure them flirting back and forth. They all moved to the bar for drinks. Once everyone else was gone and they were the last two people left there Derek leaned closer to her. "You wore that damn dress on purpose, baby girl, just to drive me out of my mind."

"And what would you do about if I did, handsome?"

"I'd have to spank you."

"Talk, talk, talk. I don't think you'll ever be more than a big talker, my love, which is really a shame because with a body like yours talking should be way down on your list of what to do when you have a woman who's interested in front of you."

"You're not just any woman though and I'd never treat you like some average hook up."

She got serious. "I know you see me as...different than most women. You want to protect me like I'm your little sister."

Derek roared with laughter. "Sister? Have you lost it, woman? You think I look at my sisters how I look at you?"

"That's just teasing. Its just our way to release steam and decompress in a stressful environment. In all seriousness, I do love how you care about me."

His voice was serious too when he told her "I more than care about you. You gotta know by now....I'm crazy about you."

"That's really sweet. I'm crazy about you too, Adonis." She stood up. "I should get to bed."

Penelope walked away. Derek paid the bill and found her as the elevator doors closed. He slid inside with her. "Baby girl....."

"Yeah?" she asked casually.

"Do you think that...are we ever gonna be together?"

"What? Together? Together how?"

"You know how," his voice dropped. "Are we ever gonna act on this thing between us? Is it just a game for your? Cause its not for me."

"Of course it's a game for you. What else could it be?"

"Woman, I love you and its damn sure not like a sister. This is not news for you so be straight with me-"

She squeaked "You're in love with me? Since when? Why are you saying this? Are you drunk?"

He lost his cool. Pushing her against the wall of the elevator, after he stopped it, he started to give her intense, sensual kissed. The elevator alarm blared but they were lost in their kisses and ignored it completely.

Breaking their kiss he leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm not drunk. I'm not playing, baby girl. I'm not looking for just sex. I'm in love with you...you know that right? You've known that for a while now, right?"

"I didn't think you really....I mean..."

"Baby girl! Why would you have any doubts? If you weren't taken I think my willpower would have snapped in two a long time ago. I was right there...ready to just say to hell with the rules at work...when you were hurt....but then..." Derek stepped back.

He started the elevator again. Soon the doors opened and a hotel clerk told them to keep their sexual liaisons to their room from now on.

"Sorry," Derek said as he placed his hand on Penelope's back and walked her to her room.

She was blushing deeply at this point and still shocked over his confession of love. He hadn't planned to do that tonight but the dress pushed him past his limit.

He knew the first time he saw it that it would be the last thing to chip away his armor. Penelope had already stripped him of most of it with her sexiness, her wit, her humor, her devotion, her big heart, her kindness and her strength. She taught him about love and he was her fool, in every way. He would never look at another woman the way he looked at his baby girl.

When they were together in her hotel room she turned toward him and blurted out "You meant it, when you said you loved me that night....when I came home from the hospital. You meant it as more than friends."

"Was there some question about that? You said you loved me too but then..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Lets just forget about every thing that went wrong back then. It was a hard time. You were reeling and you found Lynch. He was a lifeline for you. I get it. He was someone you could relate to who didn't know you before you were shot....it makes sense. It just hurt me so bad, baby."

"Derek," she said, her voice cracking,"I had no idea."

"I tried to hide it but I don't think it worked very well. You didn't notice how I changed?"

"I didn't know what to think really. I thought so many horrible things about why we kept drifting apart....and every time I hurt over you I went to him."

"Do you love him, Penelope?"

"Like I love you? Never. Nothing is like that...nothing."

Hearing that Derek rushed across the room, scooped her into his arms and kissed her. They kept kissing until they started to take off their clothes and then they made love for the first time together.

There was still plenty left to figure out and forgive but as that sexy dress that Derek loved lay crumpled on the hotel room floor Derek and Penelope both knew one thing: they had been craving this day coming since the first time he called her Gomez.

Three words. Gomez. Baby girl.

And that's how forever got started.

THE END

Inspired by A Girl Like You. Sung by Nelson Morris. Mvid by SarahVanWijck.


	4. She's All He Ever Wanted

**Fourth Story: She's All He Ever Wanted**

He couldn't believe they were back here again. Another hospital bed that she was laying in fighting for her life. Two and a half years after she was shot- after he nearly lost her forever and felt a fear he didn't even know he could feel- and now Derek was sitting vigil again.

Waiting for Penelope to open her eyes and come back to him another time. Because if she didn't then he was done for and he knew it. He'd hand in his badge and leave everything behind. He wouldn't be able to function without the light in his world being there to keep him from sinking into the darkness that always followed him.

He held her hand and stared at her, like he had been doing for days now.

A nurse walked in. She was one he hadn't seen before. She asked "Mr. Garcia?"

"Morgan. Derek Morgan, hi."

"Oh, I thought you were her husband. My mistake. I'm sorry."

"Its fine. How is she doing?"

The nurse looked at the chart. "It says they will lift the sedation today so she should be awake by this afternoon, if it all goes well."

Hope filled his eyes as he looked at the stranger. "Thank you." Then he bent and kissed Penelope's hand.

His baby girl was nearly ready to come back to him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

At first she couldn't talk, because her throat was too sore from the tube that had been down it, but she could see him there, feel him holding her hand, and see the concern in his eyes.

He kept her from freaking out when the fear of what kind of injuries she suffered in the car crash set in.

Derek saw the worry on her face and, rather than the doctors who were also there doing it, it was him that calmed her down and assured her that she would make a full recovery. That she was as beautiful as ever and as perfect as ever and that when she was well he would take her dancing.

She felt like chuckling at that. She didn't like to dance in public but she just might make an exception this time because Derek look so earnest when he told her that.

He tried to hide his fear from her but she could see that too in his eyes. He was trying to be strong for her. She had only the team as her family and she needed them desperately in times like this.

All of the team stood by her through her recovery but it was Derek who stayed the closest. And Derek who whispered, while she lay in that hospital bed, "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you from my life. I need to be able to pick up a phone and know you're on the other end with all the answers."

By then she could speak so she told him "I'll always answer when you call, hot stuff."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He took her to his home to finish her recovery. Though she protested and said she'd stay with JJ there was no way Derek was having that. He wanted Penelope with him.

This time he was seeing her through the other side of this crisis and then he was finally really asking her if she'd be with him. Seeing her laying in that bed brought back all the feelings he had when she was shot. That sharp wake up call that told him to open his mouth and spit out those three little words, because maybe she didn't know how he felt.

He did it but it was already too late, it had seemed. In her mind she wasn't someone he would date or he wasn't someone she would because, despite saying she loved him back, she immediately fell for another man the moment she saw him, at the same time when Derek had thought they made a turning point in their relationship.

Now Lynch was out of her life and Derek was single too. If he hadn't been the day Penelope went into the hospital he would have made sure he was the day she came out because now his life was all about her.

He didn't want to end up in the hospital a third time, holding her hand, and wondering if she would die not realizing she was the love of his life. Seeing her like that, feeling out of control and helpless, shook this man's faith in the world. He was already on shaky ground anyway. The thing he believed in most was not God, but instead it was his connection to Penelope.

Yet, for her, he went to God and asked for her to be healed. His prayer was answered and that's how he was able to bring her back to his little house with his slobbering dog that she loves as much as Derek does.

Sitting on the couch he tries to feed her soup. "Come on, baby girl, one more bite."

"I'm not hungry anymore. I've had more than enough."

"I know you have no appetite right now but you have to keep your strength up. How about, if you finish this soup, then I'll run out and get us some chocolate ice cream?"

Her face lit up in a smile and she let him finish feeding her the soup. Just to run out and get that ice cream made Derek nervous. He doesn't like letting her out of his sight anymore. He doesn't know how he'll ever go back to work. Maybe when she's well and she can be the voice in his ear again they can get back to how they used to be once more.

But a part of him knows there is no way he can go back to the status quo another time. Its too hard to pretend he is just another one of her friends. Maybe she sees him that way now. Maybe all her interest died in Kevin Lynch's arms but Derek will never see Penelope as just a buddy. She's been the intriguing, sexy Goddess lighting up his life since the day they met.

When Derek came back he finds Penelope looking extremely tense and angry. He stopped

cold and asked "What's wrong, baby girl? I do something to piss you off?"

She glared at him.

He walked toward the kitchen, while saying, "Something has you looking ticked. Care to let me in on it?"

Out of her pocket she pulled a diamond engagement ring. Derek about passed out. Sitting down the bags he quickly walked over to Penelope and took the ring. "You were snooping in my room?"

"Of course not, Derek! I wouldn't do that. Clooney had the ring box in his mouth and I had to get it away from him. You should be more careful with such expensive jewelry."

"Oh.....I'm sorry for accusing you, baby girl. I just....I didn't expect you to find this."

"Obviously. I know its not my place to judge you. I don't want to cross any of your precious lines but I thought we were friends....why couldn't you tell me you're in love with someone?"

"Lets sit down, sweetheart."

"I think I should leave. I'm in the way here. You haven't been able to see or talk to your girlfriend since I got here. Or else you've had to sneak out after I'm asleep....is that what you've been doing?"

"You know better than that. I would never leave you in this condition."

"I'm plenty strong enough to go home, Derek."

"Maybe but I want you here. I need you here. I hate not knowing if you're in danger or hurting or sick."

"I'll be fine. I have to go home sometime after all."

"Do you, baby girl?"

"Of course I do. I can't live here forever."

"Here? Maybe not. With me...you could if you wanted to."

"With you and your future wife? I don't hardly think so."

Derek let out a short, shaky breath, looking down and then looked back up. "I bought this ring for you, Goddess. I know we're not ready for it yet but when you were unconscious in that hospital bed I kept thinking that when you woke up...when not if cause I had to believe you were coming back to me...I would do what I've wanted to do for years now. Find a way to make you my woman and make me your man....a way where no one can ever get between us again....cause that's what I need,' he pulled her against him "I need to know, Penelope, that you belong to only me...all of you. Could you ever give me that?"

"That's my ring?"

"Your size and everything. You just gotta say you want it."

With her lips quivering she admitted "I want it, my love."

Then he started to kiss her. They shared some teary kisses. "I love you, baby girl. I've loved you so long too. You're my sunshine and I never want to go without you in my arms again."

"I..."She was crying full force now.

"Come on, baby girl, don't leave me hanging here."

"Love you too." They kissed again.

He was about to kiss her another time when his cell phone rang. Thinking it might be work he answered it, keeping his eyes locked on hers, "Yeah?.....As a matter of fact, Mom, I did finally ask her and I believe she's going to say yes....hold on...."

He got down on one knee. "Baby girl, will you spend your life with me? I know you might not completely believe in my love right now but I promise you its real and its strong and its all yours for the rest of this lifetime, no matter what your answer is.....Knowing I can't go on without calling you my wife....will you marry me, sweetheart?"

"Are you sure this isn't just because I almost died?"

"Its because I love you, that's all. I love you, silly girl. Don't find ways to talk yourself out of what you see in my eyes....Now I'm waiting for an answer.....will you become my wife one day when you're ready and your sure of my love for you?"

"Derek...hot stuff....I've been waiting for years to be able to tell you this....yes. Now hand over that rock."

With shaking hands he slid it on her finger, kissed her and then picked back up his cell and told his Mom "Looks like you're getting those grandbabies after all."

THE END

Inspired by Hello. Sung by Lionel Richie. Mvid by vidaddict82.


	5. Something Was Wrong With Him

**Fifth Story: Something Was Wrong With Him**

_He runs at full force toward her, as she lays on the floor of that filthy basement, screaming her name "PENELOPE!" Dropping to his knees he feels for a pulse. The world flashes in crazy colors and doesn't feel real anymore. "Baby girl," he begs. "Don't you dare leave me! Garcia....come on...baby...wake up."_

_He's pulled back so the paramedics can take over but his eyes never leave her. He feels like he failed her._

_What kind of man lets this happen to the woman he loves?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Months Later**

He sees her laying there looking dead over and over behind his eyes. And it throws him off balance all day now. He's making more and more mistakes at work. Mistakes that could cost someone their life if he doesn't get himself under control.

The hero is just a man underneath. And under this man's skin is a whole hell of a lot of bad memories that he can't escape. No matter how in control he looks he's unraveling more and more each second.

And now Hotch has noticed. "You have an appointment at nine am tomorrow with Dr. Vance."

Derek stills and raises an eyebrow, though his gut tells him what this is.

Hotch confirms when he adds "A psychiatrist that works for the Bureau. You won't be allowed back till he clears you." He hands Derek a card.

"I don't need a shrink!" Derek slams his hand against the wall, pretending like this is total garbage but inside he knows he's much closer to the edge than even Hotch realizes.

Even though Penelope is home now, safe after being kidnaped, Derek is living his life as if she's being held in that basement still. He's stuck in the fear....a fear for her that brought back the fear from when she was shot.

When Reid came to him and told him that someone had sent them a note with pictures of Penelope being held captive Derek had his first panic attack of his life.

Clutching the shoulders of his friend he could not catch his breath. Stars came behind his eyes and he would have fell down if not for Reid getting him into a chair. Derek's heart beat a mile a minute, racing so hard in his chest that there was physical pain much like a coronary, and his brain was so muddled that no thoughts could form.

He pulled himself together in a few minutes but the damage was done. He was broken in a way that hadn't healed yet.

Leaving Hotch behind Derek goes to find Penelope. When he gets to her he pulls her into his arms. Holding her was the only thing that helped right now.

She looks up at him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm suspended."

Her face clouds with concern. "I'm sorry, handsome."

Even in his worst moments her love makes it a little easier. It's that love though that also made him so filled with fear when he thought he might lose her. Still he would not give her up for anything in the world.

Derek steps back and then takes her hand. "See you at home tonight?"

Home. Since she was rescued she had been living with him, sleeping in his bed every night and making love to him. They were taking care of each other. Trying to chase away all the ghosts. He needed her now more than ever and she sensed it and responded by just pouring love onto him.

There was no woman better than her in the world. Derek did not want to tell a doctor his problems. He wanted to get over the demons chasing him by being with his baby girl.

She smiles at him and answers "You know it, hot stuff. Leave a light on for your Goddess."

"Will do," he says and walks out of the BAU.

His job is on the line these days but its not his job that he loves most. Its her. So he'll be all right even if he falls apart.

Cause she'll be there to hold him as he goes down and build him back up when he's ready.

THE END

Inspired by Dark Road. Sung by Annie Lennox. Mvid by BlackNightRebirth


	6. Run Away This Time Without You

**Sixth story: Run Away This Time Without You**

"I have news," she practically chirped out the words but her eyes held the truth. She was worried about his reaction.

She should have known that he'd smile through the pain.

"Oh, yeah, baby girl? What's that?"

"I'm getting married on June 15th. I know that the whole June bride thing is lame and so not me but Kevin likes the idea." She held up her hand. "I'm engaged, handsome."

He forced a huge smile. "That's fantastic news, baby girl. Congratulations. He's one lucky man." And then Derek turned and walked away.

He didn't looked back at her again. He put in his transfer papers a few days later, avoiding her as best as he could until he was finally on the plane for Chicago. He didn't say good bye to her.

Saying good bye to his baby girl was more than he could handle.

Besides she had a fiancee now. She made her choice and so he did the only thing he could do....he got the hell out of her way before she drove him to any deeper into a depression.

But it didn't work. He was even more empty after he left. He did his job but his heart was in pieces.

One day she left a message on his phone. It was cold. "Morgan, if you're not at my wedding then forget you ever knew me."

If only it was that simple.

XXXXXXXXXX

The months drug by and he was a mess. He worried that he was becoming a person he didn't even know anymore. He felt so hollow.

Every Sunday he went to his Mom's house for dinner. One Sunday when he pulled up his heart jumped into his throat. Penelope was sitting on the stairs of his mother's home.

Derek jumped out of his truck and ran up to her. "Baby girl! What....what are you doing here?"

She stood up. "Why?" she hissed, near tears.

"Why what, baby?" he asked, distracted. "Why are you at my Mom's? Did you know I'd be here today?"

"She talks to me. Something you've forgotten how to do."

He looked down, guiltily. "I wanted to...let you get on with your life without me getting in the way. I know you're happy with Lynch but...sweetheart....it wasn't as easy for me to be happy for you as it should have been."

"I just don't understand! You left without telling me anything! You walked out on the team and you did it like a coward. The Derek Morgan I love isn't a coward so why did you sneak out that way? Why won't you call anyone back? Why are you shutting me out? Why can't you be happy for me? Why are you this selfish?"

"Selfish?" he asked, in a hoarse and angry voice. "There's nothing selfish about what I did. You want to see selfish, baby girl? Here's selfish."

He grabbed her and kissed her, as she tried to speak at first and then just gave in to the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. She broke the kiss, he could have gone on all day, and jerked her head back, as her arms still looped his neck, "That's a hell of a lot less selfish than leaving me behind like...like..." she started to cry "you never loved me at all!"

"Penelope, I left because if I stayed I would have done this...messed up your relationship with the man you picked over me."

"All you had to do was say you wanted me. You completely shut me out of your life."

"You're engaged to marry another man, baby. You shut me out first."

"I called the wedding off, Derek. Because of you," she glared at him. "You left and I couldn't cope. Why would you leave like that? If you had to go....at least say good bye."

"Then I never would have been able to leave. Don't you know....I love you."

"I didn't know.....I thought I meant nothing to you because you left me that way. I came here to make you tell me when you stopped caring if I lived or died."

"Don't say that! You're my number one priority in life."

"I almost married another man," she murmured.

"I know, baby. I know....but its over now."

She hugged him and laid her head against his chest. "I'm still mad at you."

"I'm mad at you too but I'm not gonna run away again. Never again. I'll only run to you from now on."

"You better! If you ever pull a stunt like this again that's it! You will force me to go to drastic measures to get you back on track again....because I won't live without you, Derek. I miss you and it all feels ugly and wrong when you aren't with me."

That was exactly how he felt when they were separated. He gave her a quick kiss.

His mother came outside and said "I see you two finally made up. About time."

Derek smiled. "Mom! You were talking to Penelope behind my back. I should be mad at you for that."

His mother said "Of course I was talking to her. Talking to you was doing no good at all."

Penelope smiled and told Derek "You ought to listen to your mother when she gives you good advice....like to come home to me right away, handsome."

"I'll never need that advice again cause I'll never leave you again. I'm sorry, baby girl. I just didn't think I could handle watching you marry anyone else."

Penelope put on a pout. "I'm still mad, you jerk! But...I love you...so I'll be mad and still take you home with me when I go back....right?"

"Just as fast as I can pack up my truck and tell the job we'll be on the road."

Penelope asked "What if they won't let you transfer back?"

Derek answered "Then hell with that job. I love it but I won't be separated from you for another day. No way, baby girl. I got to have you in my arms every day from now on."

His mother said "I hope that means you're marrying her, son."

Derek just grinned and kissed Penelope's cheek. All the darkness was gone now because she was there to whisk it away.

THE END

Inspired by Fine Without You. The song is Straightjacket Feeling by The All-American Rejects. The mvid is by Pavlowsdog.


	7. Let Me Stay

**Note-** This starts after season three episode 14 where Derek finds out Penelope is now dating Kevin Lynch.

**Story Seven: Let Me Stay**

No woman ever hurt Derek Morgan the way Penelope Garcia had. He didn't know he could get this mad or this hurt. That he could be this confused and lonely and wrecked inside.

Inside, of course. On the outside he tried to not let it show. Though he knew he wasn't pulling it off all that well he damn sure was going to keep trying his hardest to fake that he was still okay.

That's why he went on a date tonight with a chick he met while out jogging. It was pretty cold this time of year but he didn't care. He needed to be out burning off energy when they weren't on a case.

He refused to sit home and think about what his baby girl was doing with some other guy. How she didn't need him anymore- the way she did back when she was first hurt. How they were on the brink of something right before Battle came into their lives and then how scared Derek got because she was hurt, how that pushed him to tell her about his feelings for her, and how she moved on anyway.

After all these years she just moved on to Lynch. The name alone made Derek's jaw clench. He tried to focus on his date, sitting across the candle lit table from him, but all he noticed about her was that she wasn't anything like Penelope. Meaning she wasn't who or what he wanted at all.

But he picked up her hand and held it anyway. Flashed her a smile and pretended to still be a player. Maybe eventually the pretending would turn him back into who he was before he fell for Penelope. He kinda doubted it.

What choice did he have but to try though?

"You seem distracted," Abby said "Are you here with me or still at work?"

"Sorry. Yeah, the last case was a beast. I'm here, swear." Such a lie but he had no choice really.

His cell rang. He made an apologetic face as he pulled it out of his pocket. "It could be the job." Glancing down he saw Baby Girl written on the screen and immediately answered "Hey, everything okay?"

It seemed lately she was freezing him out so to get a call from her this late at night on a day off made him jump to scary conclusions.

Her breathing was ragged. "Someone broke in-"

Derek jerked to attention. "What? When? Where are you?"

"I'm at home."

Before she could say more he was jumping to his feet and pulling out his wallet. He threw money on the table.

Penelope went on "Someone broke in next door and..." she sounded like she was hyperventilating. "I'm sorry for bothering you but-"

"Baby girl, I'm on my way. Just breathe for me. I'll be there soon. Your door is locked right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm already on my way. Just hold on, sweetness."

"Thank you." Her voice was so small and terrified that it just about ripped out his heart.

Derek clicked close the phone and told his date. "I'm sorry. I have an emergency."

Though she made a suspicious face he could careless. He ran out of the restaurant, jumped in his truck and sped to Penelope's apartment. He knocked. As soon as she opened the door he pulled her into his arms.

By this time she was a lot calmer.

He looked down at her. "Tell me what happened."

She moved out of his arms. He came inside, closed and locked the door.

Penelope said "It was so stupid. Kevin brought me home from dinner and there were cops everywhere. There was a break in next door. Seeing that....I just lost it. I don't know why. I couldn't even breathe. Nothing happened and yet I freaked out like I was attacked again."

"You didn't feel safe here. Nobody would call you getting upset a strange reaction after what happened to you."

"I'm sorry I messed up your night. I'm fine. Thanks for coming over to check on me. Goodnight, handsome."

"Hey," he said softly "I get that you're pass the initial shock, the flashback and the terror but that doesn't mean you should be alone right now."

"Really, I'll be okay. You shouldn't have to put your life on hold to baby sit me. You've done enough of that already."

"And I loved every minute of it, baby."

"That's sweet."

"Let me sleep on your couch tonight."

"No, Derek, seriously, I'm fine now. After I hung up from calling you I realized how unfair I was being and how ridiculous."

"You're not being either of those things. Its not unfair cause I wanna be here and its sure as hell not ridiculous to freak out when you hear your neighbor had someone break in. If you send me home I'll stay up all night worrying about you. Just let me stay. Unless this is about Lynch-"

"What does that mean?"

"That he would be upset if he knew I was here."

"Its not that serious with him. Besides, I decide who I'm around. Not him."

"Good to hear, baby girl. I would hate to think just cause you've got this new guy in your life you don't need me anymore."

Penelope sat down on the couch. "Kevin was here when I freaked out...I really think I was having a panic attack or something...but he couldn't do anything for me. That's why I called you. But I shouldn't have done that to you. Its not right. Why should you have to be my hero?"

"You hear me complaining?" he asked, as he sat down next to her. "I kinda thought we'd get through this whole aftermath together but...its not working out that way, baby."

"You were here for me when I needed you most. I can't ask you to keep coming back and sleeping on my couch."

"That's what I wanna do most. Let me."

"Why would you want to waste your time that way? You could be out living your life. Not propping me up constantly. I need to get pass this on my own."

"You don't have to do anything on your own, if you don't want to. That's what I'm here for, baby. Don't the fact that Lynch doesn't make you feel better give you some kind of clue to the mistake you made by getting with him?"

"Its not your place to judge who I date. It was a mistake to call you. I'm sorry."

"All right. I'll go. But first you need to answer me one question."

Her eyes got wide as she looked at him.

He asked "What did I do to make you give up on us?"

"Derek," she said, her voice sad and filled with regrets. "Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong. You've been great. Better than you should have had to be. You were holding my hand though it all."

"I'll always do that, baby girl, cause you're my girl. You're my very best friend. But I wanted more. You know that, right?"

She nodded slightly.

Derek asked "But you don't?"

"When I think about you and me I can't even breath. Its too big. Its everything. And if I get everything and it gets messed up.....I just don't think I can risk it. Kevin isn't like that for me. He's just another geek like me and its not really scary at all to date him. Sure he's not gorgeous and brave and funny and sensitive and amazing...he's not you, Hot Stuff. But no one is....Right now I'm just a mess and you deserve so much better than me."

He cupped her face in his hands. "I love you, baby girl. If you want me then please say it so we can be together. Let me hold you tonight and every night. Let me keep you safe so you never have to panic again that someone will come through that door and hurt you. I'll be right here to keep that from happening."

"I can't ask you for all that. Its too much."

"Its what I want." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Its not moving too fast. We've been flirting for years already. We know each other better than most couples who have been dating for months. I just want to hold you, baby, and be your security blanket."

"You're my hero. I don't want to make you feel obligated cause I was shot."

"I wanted you long before that. You're my baby girl. Didn't I ask you to go out that night it happened? I wanted you, Penelope, then and I do now. I hate that you hooked up with Lynch. I don't get it. We're right together, you and me. You're just what I want and who I need....let me be here with you. I love you, sweetness. I just want to stay here and hold you every night. When I'm at home you're who I think about the most. Worry about the most. Let me be here so we can both feel better."

She nodded and then she gave him a very short kiss, one asking for forgiveness and for a second chance. Derek answered her with a kiss of his own. Then he lay back on the couch, pulled her into his arms and stroked her back till she relaxed. "Thank you for calling me tonight, baby girl."

"You were on a date, weren't you?" she teased, her tone teary with happiness.

"Busted. But I don't even remember her name now."

Penelope looked up at him. "You really want to live together?"

"More than anything else in the world."

"And we can still take it slow?"

"Like turtles, promise."

"Not that slow. We've already managed to drag this out nearly four years!"

He chuckled and kissed her again. "Whatever speed you want."

"I love you, handsome."

"God, does that sound good. I love you too, baby girl. And I promise..."

"Yes?"

"I will put the toilet seat down and keep the lid on the toothpaste."

Penelope cracked up. Derek muffled her laughing with a kiss. From that day on they always lived together, except for a few days after a big fight, and they always slept in each other's arms, chasing away the demons and the bad memories with their love for each other.

THE END

Inspired by Take Me Away. Sung by Avril. Mvid by TvObsessed.


	8. Take Me Home Tonight

**Note**- _this story works off the premise that in the season finale this year Morgan and Garcia start a steamy sexual relationship. This fic would take place in September of 2010, during the first episode of next year._

**Take Me Home Tonight**

"Hey, babe, I need you to check the criminal history of all the staff at this hospital for me. I think it's a possibility that our unsub works here or did at some point in the last few years," Derek spoke into his phone.

"Okay. On it."

From the tone of her voice he knew something was up with her. "Baby girl? You all right?"

"Just distracted today."

"Oh yeah? What's on that beautiful mind of yours?"

"Nothing for you to worry about right now, my love. You know how I am when I get something in my head. I become obsessed with it until I have the answer all figured out."

"So what is your latest obsession? And is it something dirty? Cause you know that I'm always up to hear about any new tricks you've come up with," he said, in a throaty tone, always flirting with her at every opportunity. Sleeping with her didn't take away their heat. It only turned the sparks into a wild burning fire that left him happier than he had ever been in his life before.

"I promise to tell you all about it when you get home. For now you need to focus all that brilliant brain power of yours on catching the bad guy and then coming home to your _bad_ girl."

He let out a sexy chuckle. "That's the plan." He smiled widely. "All right, girl, I gotta go."

"Be safe."

"Always."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Penelope clicked off the phone call from Derek and let her eyes wander over to her purse. It was unzippered. She had used her lunch hour to go get a pregnancy test at the closest drug store.

Before Derek got back she wanted to know if she was carrying their baby or not so she could figure out how to tell him.

They hadn't been trying to conceive and she didn't quite know what to think about the fact that their birth control method could have failed.

They spent all summer in a too hot for underage eyes love affair. It hadn't been just sex that first night and it still wasn't now. One of her favorite moments each day now was when she would wake up in his arms and he would whisper, his voice thick with sleep, as she tried to get up to go to the bathroom "Hurry back to me, baby girl," and then let out an unhappy groan from the feel of her body moving away from his. He could never stay asleep when she left their bed.

She still had her apartment but it went unused most of the time. She always seemed to end up going to his place. He'd give her a look filled with desire- an unquenchable lust that left them both shocked and breathless time after time- and his love for her and she'd forget all about her intentions for them to go slow.

He used to be such a player. She didn't want to bore him or smother him or do anything to make them end. The first few weeks they were together she worried about that all the time. That her biggest dream would somehow fall apart right before her eyes.

But over time those fears faltered and lost a lot of their hold on her. The way Derek treated her was slowly showing her, each day and night they spent together now, that he couldn't be pushed away, scared off or grow tired of her.

His lust never got satiated. It always flared hot between them and grew hotter all the time. She had been starting to believe, just last week, that they were headed for the fate she never thought could be hers. A lifetime with him loving her.

But then she missed her period.

_Now what_? she thought, as she pulled her eyes off the pregnancy test. _Will he freak? Will I? Do I even want a baby? Can we even take care of one with our jobs? How does JJ do it? Can I bring a baby into this evil world?_

The world seemed endlessly wicked when they were deep into a case but it was a wondrous place when Derek was back home again. Then her world shone like the stars above.

That world was just the place for their child to grow up in.

_Slow your roll, _Penelope told herself, borrowing a phrase from her boyfriend's vernacular._ You don't even know if you're pregnant._

The next chance she got she was taking that test.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Ten days later Derek walked back into the BAU, with the rest of the team, spotted his girlfriend talking to Agent Andersen and hurried up behind her.

Murmuring "There's my baby girl," he wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek, before letting her go. He wore a big smile.

His eyes searched her. She had been on his mind nearly constantly. He had tried to conjole out of her why she had that distance and brooding tone in her voice but he couldn't get it out of her over the phone. Now that he was back home he intended to learn what was weighing on her mind and help her through it any way he could.

Though her eyes were clouded with unnamed emotions Penelope smiled back. "And there's my favorite super hero."

XXXXXXXXXX

They walked into his house together. He dropped his bag by the door, greeted his dog, and then looked at Penelope. "Okay, give it up, sexy mama. What's got you all worked up?"

She looked at him for a moment, as if contemplating what to say, and then admitted "I had a scare."

The hairs on his arm stood up. He tensed and asked "What kind of scare?"

"A Morgan/Garcia genetic miracle kind of scare."

His eyebrow furrowed. "A baby? We made a baby?"

"No, my love, we didn't but for a day or two I thought we might have. I guess I just jumped to conclusions. I didn't mean to stress you out while you were working, making you worry about me. It was all just silliness on my part." She slipped out of her coat and hung it up. "So that's that. What do you want for dinner?"

Penelope started to head for the kitchen but Derek took hold of her arm and stopped her. "Hold on there, woman. Can I get a minute to catch up here? When did you first suspect you were pregnant? After I left for Houston?"

"The morning we got this latest case. I realized I was a few days late."

"While I was still here?"

"Baby-"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't know anything and I didn't even know what I thought about the possibility, let alone what you would. I needed time to process and figure out if I want a baby in my life-"

"Our life."

Her eyes softened and her voice dropped. "In our life," she corrected.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "And what did you figure out?"

"Its way too soon."

"That doesn't sound like the full answer. Come on, give it to me straight. Were you happy about the idea, after you sat with it for a while?"

"After the crazy shock wore off, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"You look kinda shell shocked still, handsome."

"Answer me, woman. Don't try and avoid this question." His eyes filled with a darkness that showed his male possessiveness over her. "Did the idea of having our baby make you glad you've spent the last few months in my bed or make you regret it all?"

Looking into his eyes she swore, as her hand caressed his cheek, "I will never regret loving you and I would have been honored to give you a child. And honored to give my child you for a father."

He rested his forehead against hers. His arms wrapped around her back. Softly he asked "You're sure you're not....?"

"I'm sure, sweetness."

"Well you know what that means, right?" he said, a teasing lilt coming into his voice.

"Describe it for me nice and slow. You know how I get hot for kinky talk."

He chuckled and lifted her off her feet. "We're just gonna have to keep trying, pretty mama."

"Give it a year, baby!" she cried, as he carried her to bed. "I need a year to ravish you senseless before I have to wake up every night with our kid."

He grinned at her. "A year. All right. But its going to be quite the year, baby girl. You better be ready for it."

She just smiled back at him as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door. Giggles could be heard as the bed creaked.

THE END

Inspired by Fat Bottomed Girls. Song by Queen. Mvid by moonbrain.


	9. Got Me Coming Undone, part one

**Note**- _the first scene happened on Criminal Minds during season three._

**Got Me Coming Undone**

**Part One**

**2007**

"_What? No snappy retort? What's going on?"_

"_Not in the mood."_

"_Penelope?"_

"_Uh, that guy from the coffee shop asked me out and I took your advice and I blew him off."_

"_Oh! Um,... well good. Smart move. Something was definitely wrong with him."_

"_Wow. You are some profiler. You could tell how wrong he was from what little I told you."_

"_Garcia, I didn't mean-"_

"_I wonder was it that he was too handsome or too interested in me that tipped you off on how wrong he was?"_

"_Garcia, I-"_

"_Just cause you wouldn't cross a crowded room to hit on me doesn't mean that a more perceptive, less superficial man wouldn't. Hey, Derek? You want snappy? You suck_!"

He sat there in shock, staring at the phone, after she hung up. What the hell had just happened? Derek Morgan was stunned, to say the least.

He felt rattled. Shook to his very core.

He never fought with his baby girl before. And to fight about something like this, something so stupid, made it even worse. Ever since the day they met he had been flirting with her and now she threw it in his face that he was too blind to want her?

That was not what was holding him back and it hurt to think she believed him to be so shallow as it find something wrong with her looks. Didn't he tell her every day she was the sexiest woman he ever met? He had always been into her. He liked her for her body, her mind, her heart and her soul. Penelope Garcia was the full package.

She deserved a man who was ready to settle down and he hadn't ever felt like he was at that place. But when she told him, earlier that day, that she met a guy who was "smoking hot," as she said and repeated to drive the point home, and she looked at him with shining excited eyes over another man Derek had a moment of clarity: he could get ready to settle down real quick if the other option was her dating some other guy.

He didn't tell her that though. His head was spinning. He wanted to save face. So he put on a big smile for her, while warning her to be careful with this new guy. He just didn't want her getting hurt and he didn't want her rushing into something. Rushing away from him.

That moment was one he replayed all morning, as the team flew out of town for a new case, and now as he sat there he thought about it again. She had said that she wasn't the type men write songs about. He started to tell her how wrong she was but she cut him off.

Now he knew that she really believed that. She believed she wasn't gorgeous enough to get any man she wanted. To get him.

The hurt he felt knowing that made a bitter taste come onto his tongue. Not for him and not even for the painful realization he just had about how she saw him but for her. His baby girl.

She was insecure, even if she hid it well, and now he could finally see just how broken she was inside. He hated knowing she was suffering with doubts about herself. She shouldn't have to. Not when he saw the beauty in her- inside and out.

Not when he loved her.

_Love_? he asked himself as he finally stood and headed out of the room. The word fit what he felt even better than he had ever realized before.

For all the time they had known each other they had this flirty, fun, sexy vibe between them that grew to a deep friendship. But it wasn't like he ever forget for one second that she was a hot, brilliant babe. He checked her out every time she walked away and he made sure he saw her everyday that he could, no matter how out of his way he had to go to make that happen or if he had to miss sleep or a date for her. Being in her computer lab was more fun for him than most other things and it was an important part of his routine: hanging out with his best friend.

He slowly fell for her. She stole pieces of his heart over the years and became the most important woman in his life, no matter who was in his bed. He was just waiting to feel ready for a serious relationship before he asked her to be with him.

He always felt like she would wait on him. Like she understood what they were moving towards but after the events between them today he knew he was way off base. Not only was she far from waiting on him, she didn't even think he wanted her at all.

That he wouldn't pick her out of a crowd.

It stung. He felt bruised and battered by her today but he blamed himself for her being this way. He had assumed way too much. He needed to make this right with her. As he walked out to the rental SUV to go to meet up with the rest of the team he called Penelope back "Hey."

"Tell me what you need," she said in a stern tone that told him to not get personal with her.

"You, Garcia. I need you to go to dinner with me as soon as I get back."

"Not if you were the last man on earth, Morgan." Click.

He stared at his cell. He had been rejected by women before, not often but it happened, still he never felt this kind of hurt over being shot down. He had a bad feeling this was a turning point for them and he was about to lose his baby girl....and never get her back again.

As he drove he thought back to all the days he had known her. And how she was the only woman he had ever fallen in love with and how she didn't even know that. How she probably wouldn't even believe him if he told her.

( _I remember what you wore on the first day_

_you came into my life and I thought _

"_Hey, you know this could be something."_

_-_

_Cause everything you do_

_and words you say_

_you know that it all takes my breath away._

_-_

_And now I'm left with nothing_.) (Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift)

XXXXXXXXX

He hesitantly walked into a church, when they got back to Virginia and Penelope was ignoring all his calls to her cell phone.

Derek was questioning everything in his life. Did God exist? Why was there so much evil in the world? Why did men like Carl Buford exist? What would he do if Penelope never treated him the same way she did yesterday? What if he could never convince her they were headed somewhere together?

What if she had shut down on him for good? If there was a God and if he refused to do anything for all the victims that the BAU dealt with everyday, why would he listen to Derek now...a man who wasn't even sure what he believed in...and why would he help him?

Tears rolled down his face and he prayed he could be a better man. Be the man she needed most. Because if he had messed up that then his life just got way off course and he had no clue what the rest of it would look like.

Thinking about living without her left him chilled to the bone. "Give me some answers. What does it all mean? Help me.....God, help me. I need to be stronger. Don't let me lose her. Don't take her away from me....please. Let her see how much I need her. Let her believe in me. Let me believe in You. Give me some answers. What does this all mean?"

(_So maybe its true._

_I can't live without you._

_And maybe two __is better than one._

_-_

_But there's so much time_

_to figure out _

_the rest of my life._

_And you already got me coming undone._

_And I'm thinking two is better than one_)


	10. Got Me, part two

**Got Me Coming Undone**

**Part Two**

**2010**

She sort of fell apart when Kevin Lynch broke up with her. It was right after he offered her a ring and she stuttered out "Can I...um....would it be okay if....uh....I think about it and get back to you?"

His male pride was wounded and more than that he saw in her eyes that even if she married him she didn't love him, even after all their time together, in the way he wanted her to. Like a love sick fool.

So he walked away. He told her she would never make a relationship work the way she was.

His parting words included "You're just too damaged."

For months she kept hearing those words in her head. Her bubbly personality faltered some but she tired to keep herself as cheery as she could at work. It was hard to hide how hurt she was around a bunch of profilers though. To their credit they all rallied around her- no one more so than Derek.

The winter drifted into the spring and she started to feel stronger. But she had decided she would never get into a serious relationship again. She wrote off the idea of marriage and kids. If she couldn't make it work with Kevin, someone just like her, then it was obvious she couldn't make it work with anyone.

Now she was reconsidering all that, as she sat at her computer in the BAU, and remembered what happened the night before with Derek.

_They whole team went out for drinks. They were having a great time- laughing, joking and blowing off steam when a stranger walked over to their table. "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, and believe me I rarely do anything like this...but would you like to dance?"_

_Everyone fell quiet._

_Finally JJ said to Penelope "He's talking to you, Garcia," as she smirked_.

"_Me?" Penelope asked "You want to dance with me? I'm sorry but...no....I....well...I...um..."_

_How to say she felt uncomfortable in public places with people staring at her but she was sure he was a very nice man and if she wasn't planning to be celibate for life and didn't have a phobia of being mocked she would love to? _

_Derek, who had tensed up as soon as the guy walked over and focused on Penelope, moved closer and wrapped his arm around her back. "She's taken, man. Kindly back the hell off."_

"_Sorry. I didn't realize you two were together," the guy said and left._

"_Aw," JJ said "he seemed sweet."_

_Derek said "He looked psychotic."_

_Emily asked "Is that your professional opinion?"_

_Rossi wasn't even bothering to try and hide his smirk. "He seemed all right to me. You sure you're not interested, Garcia?"_

_Penelope wondered "Was I too harsh? Maybe I should go apologize and dance with him? What could one dance hurt?"_

_Derek told her "He's fine. Leave it be. If you're dancing with anybody, baby, its gonna be me."_

_The possessive tone in his voice always sent shivers through her and she couldn't find the words to argue with him so she let him drag her out to the dance floor. After they had been dancing for a minute, and she was intoxicated on the smell of his cologne and the feel off his body against hers, he looked down into her eyes and murmured "We fit just right," before capturing her lips in their first real, passionate, romantic kiss._

_He left her breathless and her head spinning. "What was that?"_

_His eyes searched hers. "Lets get out of here." Taking her hand he led her back to the table and they said good night to their friends, who were all smiling at them, having seen everything._

_When they were in the parking lot, with Derek's arm around her waist, she looked at him and asked "Seriously, what's going on? Why did you kiss me? To make that guy back off? I think the look you gave him, handsome, did the job. The kiss was overkill."_

"_You think the first time I kissed you I would let be about anyone but us? That kiss happened because you looked damn good and I wanted to see if you tasted as good. If I was out of line...." Pain clouded his features as he moved away from her._

"_Did I taste good, sweetness?"she flirted, pushing back all her own fears and doubts to give him what he needed in that moment._

_He smiled. "Delicious, baby girl. I could get addicted to that mouth of yours." _

_They shared a pair of giddy smiles before she got in Esther and rolled down the window. _

_He asked "You okay to drive?"_

"_Do you think your kiss made me that off balance?" she teased. "I do feel a little dizzy but I can manage a motor vehicle. Besides I have a feeling I'm going to be buzzed for days so I'll have to learn to do many things under your spell."_

_He chuckled. "I know you can handle it, Goddess......Hey" his tone was turned soft and questioning "we're okay, right?"_

"_Sure!" She started the car and drove off. She had no idea what to think about what just happened and if it meant anything. Maybe they would never talk about it again._

_Kissing him had heated her to her core. Her skin tingled. She would never forget this feeling. He was unlike any other man she had ever known. He was everything all rolled up in one._

_And maybe....he wanted her? After all these wild years they spent as friends and all the ups and down, the almosts and the missed chances, the wrong turns and mistakes, the other people in their beds, could he really still look at her like he did on the day they met?_

_Like she was the best woman who ever walked into his world. _

_How could he see past all that happened and still want her? After he had let their time pass and after she had pushed him away and been with Lynch- something she thought Derek would never get over- and after the horrible round two fight over Tamara Barnes that happened during the first weeks after Lynch dumped Penelope. Her and Derek had been to hell and back together._

_So why wasn't he past seeing her as a lover? She thought he bored quickly of women. That she was just his buddy now. That he didn't dream of her like she dreamt of him._

_Was she wrong? The kiss he gave her felt like it was years in the making. And she really wanted another, even if she was nervous about what this all meant._

She was jarred out of her memory by the ringing phone. "Office of the Oracle of All Knowing."

"Baby girl, I need you to run a name for me: Jeff Harris, bounty hunter, last known address in Devil's Hole, Nevada."

"Got it," she sprouted off his life story.

When she was done Derek said "Thanks, sweetheart, keep digging for more. Especially on his ex-wife and the people in their social circle."

"On it."

"Hey......" his voice dropped "are you as preoccupied today as I am?"

"I can multi task, sugar. Don't doubt my skills. You know nobody does it better than I do."

He chuckled. "After last night I know that counts for more than just what you can do on that computer of yours. Talk to you later, babe. Keep those lips warm for me. I can't get them out of my mind for nothing."

Her mouth made an O shape. "Then you better catch your unsub fast so you can get back in the same zip code as your sexy mama's lips, don't you think?"

"Yeah," she could tell he was smiling widely "that is exactly what I was thinking." He hung up.

She sat there remembering the night before some more, as she typed away on her computer, and all the years leading up to that, off the charts, good first kiss that only made her crave another, off the charts, good second kiss.

(_I remember every look upon your face._

_The way you roll your eyes,_

_the way you taste._

_-_

_You make it hard for breathing._

_-_

_Cause when I close my eyes_

_and drift away_

_I think of you and everything's okay._

_I'm finally now believing._

_-_

_That maybe its true._

_I can't live without you._

_And maybe two_

_is better than one._

_-_

_There's so much time_

_to figure out the rest of my life._

_And you've already got me coming undone_.) (Taylor Swift and Boys Like Girls)


	11. Got Me, part three

**Got Me Coming Undone**

**Part Three**

**2010**

She was so caught up in a fantasy about him that she didn't hear him enter her computer lab, a few days later when the team was back home, until he said, in a deep and sexy tone that he only used on her, "Baby girl, did you miss me as much as I missed you? Were you counting the seconds like I was?"

Penelope startled in her seat. A smile spread over her lips and a deep blush came to her cheeks. She tinged and heated up just because he was nearby.

Derek came up behind her chair, before she had the chance to turn around, and leaned over her. He dangled a necklace in front of her face. It was made of bright beads in the style of an American Indian tribe.

"For me, sugar?"

"To remember the trip where I just couldn't get you off my mind." He lifted up her hair. "Can I put it on you, pretty mama?"

"Yes, you may, my...yes you may."

He put it on. She stood up and looked at him. Their eyes connected. They were both nervous. Derek looked away first. "So, the team is going out for drinks.....you in?"

"Not tonight. I'm not in the mood."

His face fell. "Oh...um....well, that's okay. Next time, Garcia. I better go finish up my paperwork." He reached out and fingered her necklace. "Its looks good....this way you won't ever forget that you are the kinda woman men write songs about. You're the kind they go to war over. And the kind they go crazy if they lose.....you know that now, right?"

"I know you feel that way about me....yes."

"Good." He nodded and then turned to leave.

She called out to him "Aren't you gonna ask me what I am in the mood for tonight?"

He turned around and a big smile curved over his lips. "All right. What are you in the mood for, baby girl?"

"Your couch. You interested, sweetness? Can you be persuaded to give up drinks with the team just this once?"

"That could definitely be arranged. Anything for my girl."

She covered her heart with her hand. "Be still my heart. I already love being your girl. This could become quite the addiction."

He laughed. "Let me warn you, baby, there's no cure. You just get more and more addicted as the days go on, at least that's what I hear happens in these kind of situation."

"Falling for a chocolate God?"

"No, silly girl, being in love."

She smiled brightly.

He walked closer and pulled her body against his. "I have missed that smile......and I've missed something else you do with your lips too," and then he gave her a kiss.

She clung to his shoulders and let herself kiss him back with all the love that had been in her heart for years. When he pulled back his eyes were glazed. "Wow. Lets get out of here. My couch is looking really good right about now."

She giggled. "I have to shut down my babies after I finished one last update and you need to do your report. We'll have to wait, my love."

He grinned. "I've got no problem with waiting, you know that, baby girl. Just as long as I can find some faith that what I'm waiting for is real. I know it is for me...."

"It's the most real thing I've ever had the pleasure of feeling, Morgan."

He leaned closer to her. "Do me a favor, baby."

"Just name it. And make it dirty cause those are my favorites."

He cupped the back of her head and brought her mouth nearer to his ear. "Say my first name."

She blew on his ear and nibbled it. "Derek," she moaned out, sucking on his earlobe.

"Oh, damn woman, you know how to please me so well."

"And I only get better as the days go by," she said, finally feeling really confident about them.

He grinned. "Yeah, you do. Better and better. I'm one lucky guy."

"Yep!"

He laughed. "Okay, Goddess, I'm heading out to do that paperwork. You get done here. Hurry! I'm a patient man but my patience, for tonight at least, is feeling like its getting ready to snap. If we don't make it to that couch and I can't get you wrapped up in my arms...really dirty things could happen here and I don't think either of our careers would be the better for that."

She giggled. "Go, my love! Before you sidetrack both of us."

"It would be so worth it."

She chuckled while shivers raced down her spine and warmth spread through you. "You have a dirty, dirty mind but its no where near as filthy as mine. So leave before I get too tempted to play out some of the naughty thoughts I've had about us in this room over the years."

His eyes widened. He gulped and then he shook his head at her, giving her a very turned on look, and left. Penelope stood there smiling and thinking about how she wasn't too damaged to love anyone right.

She was just trying to love the wrong man for too long. Kevin hadn't been her fate after all. That was just fear that made her ever buy into that baloney.

From the day he called her Gomez it was Derek Morgan that was her fate. They did fit together just right. She couldn't wait to know how good it would feel when their bodies were pressed together without layers of clothes.

Maybe it would be tonight or tomorrow or next week. But it would happen. He did want her and she wanted him right back. They were finally on the same page. They both had their faith back.

Thank God.

(_And I'm thinking, ohhhh,_

_I can't live without you._

_-_

_Cause, baby, two is better than one._

_-_

_There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life_

_but I figure_

_that with all that said and done:_

_-_

_Two is better than one._

_Two is better than one._)

**THE END**

This was inspired by a Hotch and Prentiss mvid by my1993gsr. I only write Morgan and Garcia but the song was too good to pass over.


	12. Noir

Note- _This takes place during episode 3X10, the first one where Penelope goes back to work. Derek is worried about her and when he comes back he checks in on her. He fixes her chair and she tells him that there is a quote that reminds her of him. This is when she explains what a noir hero is to him. The scene ends then._

**Noir**

"And that's what you think of me?" he asked her. "I'm some kind of hero for you?" his voice got an angry hint to it. "Baby," he said, frustrated, "I'm no hero!"

Penelope startled. They had been having so much fun together and now he was getting mad. "I know you don't like to think you are but I know better," she said, gently. "You saved my life not that long ago. If you had left me alone at my apartment that night I wouldn't be here right now with such little problems as an uncomfortable chair to worry about."

Derek thought back to their last case. A young man went nuts after thugs killed his girlfriend. Now all he had left of her was a voice on her voicemail. It hit close to home and he truly felt sorry for the unsub. Derek ran his hands over the back of his head. "Okay, baby girl, I'm glad you feel like I protected you that night but-" his voice trailed off.

Slowly she stood up, still sore from her surgery, "What is it, my love?"

He looked at her with anguish in his eyes. "You only ended up getting shot because of me!" he finally spit out what had been eating at him since the moment he heard about it. "I pissed you off and you went out with him to prove something to me. This is all my fault. I should have said it all different....said it better...and you wouldn't have a scar that reminds you everyday that I failed you."

"Morgan," she whispered his last name and moved close to him "you have never failed me and you never could."

A light sheen of tears glittered his eyes. "I'm so sorry, baby girl. I hate that my behavior over the years led you to think I wouldn't cross a crowded room to hit on you-"

"Shh. Don't go there. That's over."

"I have to. Its not over. Its right here between us."

"Not for me its not."

"It is for me because no matter how close I stick to you now I feel like you've put up a wall. Baby, I know you're hurting but please let me in. Forgive me. I was an idiot."

"It was my fault. I was too sensitive. I hung up on you because I was overreacting. You did nothing wrong."

"I don't get why you said that. Do you believe that? You thought I wouldn't hit on you....and mean it?"

"My love, I was just being emotional. I'm a woman. I'm allowed."

"So you know better now.....right? You know I love you....right?"

She nodded. "Sure and I love you," she said, easily, as if it was no big deal.

He searched her eyes. "We'll get through this, right? We're gonna make it, right?"

"I'll always be your Goddess and, like it or not, you'll be my noir hero."

He kissed her forehead. "Night, baby girl."

"Good night, handsome."

He walked toward the door but then he looked back. "Just so you know, as soon as you're up for it, I'm taking you on a candle light dinner, horse drawn carriage ride through the park, dancing for hours date. So start looking for a sexy dress, mama."

She startled to attention and breathed out "You're what? Don't joke with me about that, please. Its not nice to tease about love...now sex that's different. But never about love, my darling."

His face scrunched up. "What are you talking about?" He walked back across the room to her. "Sit down."

"I'm fine."

"Sit down, baby girl! You just had surgery a few weeks ago! And you look like you're gonna pass out."

She sat down. "Really, baby, I'm fine. You know how you affect my heart. I was just a little lightheaded for a minute because of your teasing."

"Penelope....are you trying to tell me something?"

"What, my love?"

"That you don't want to date me."

She stared at him for a long moment and then popped out of her seat. He barked "Sit back down, woman!"

She sat down. "Are you asking me on a date....seriously? Me and you? In a romantic relationship? Where is this coming from?"

"What does that mean? All I've been doing lately is trying to show you in every way I want you. Why isn't anything getting through your hard head? Or do you just not want me back so you can't hear me? I asked you out the night...the night you were injured....and I barely left your side while you were in the hospital....and I told you...how I...." he faltered "Do you just say I love you to people and it means nothing? Because it meant everything for me, baby. I....love.....you, my silly girl. I...love....you, can you hear me now? Is this sinking in? Don't tell me that you don't want me cause I can't take it....."

She was completely speechless.

After she didn't say anything for a minute he stepped back. "Good night, Garcia." With sadness in his eyes he turned and went to leave.

She yelped "I love you too, Morgan!"

He slowly turned around, still looking hurt. "Before this all happened I really thought you did but now that I've let you down....its like you can't trust me anymore. You say you love me and you don't even mean it. I'm just another buddy for you. That's okay, baby. Its fine. I deserve this."

She hurried over to him. He tried to hold out a hand, telling her to go slow because she was hurt, but she ignored him and hugged him, lightly because her whole front was still bearing stitches.

"You pigheaded man, listen to me, I love you as a friend, yes, of course I do. But I love you as a man too. I just can't believe you really wanted me before this all happened. Is that seriously true?" Hope shone in her eyes when she looked at him.

He nodded, overcome with emotion, and then gave her a very short, tender kiss. "You should have been out with me that night. You're my baby girl and I should have protected you better....really been your hero and made it so you knew.....I'd cross every room on this planet just to stand next to you. I've never been in love with anyone but you, Penelope.....so go easy on me cause I don't know what I'm doing here."

She smiled at him, through her tears, "I am a good teacher, my love."

They kissed again and that night he took her home to sleep next to him in his bed, with his dog at their feet, and they talked all night long. In the early morning light she showed him her surgical marks and he kissed all along the area next to them, softly so it didn't hurt her.

Later, when she healed, he would kiss and lick her scars and make it so they didn't cause her shame because he loved her even more for surviving that ordeal. She fought to get back to all of them....and to him most of all.

He would never forget she could just be a voice on an answering machine right now too. But she made it through her shooting.

And gave Derek another chance to prove to her what kind of man he really was. Sometimes a hero, always her man.

**THE END**

Inspired by Eppure Sentire. Song by Elisa. Mvid by fusciama 2.


	13. She Made Her Choice

**She Made Her Choice**

_You know what you are? You're my God given solace.....God given solace...God given solace...never stop talking to me._

Penelope Garcia had a day from hell. The team was on a case in New York City and for the first time in two years she had been brought along.

It seemed so exciting to her. She had this feeling something big was going to happen and she just couldn't shake that thought from the moment Hotch told her she was coming with them this time.

Well something big did happen for sure. But most of it was firmly in the horror category. Hotch got hurt. Agent Kate Joyner died. And Derek nearly got himself killed by driving an ambulance loaded with explosives through the city streets when he knew it was set to go off at any moment.

Those few minutes of speaking in his ear had made her feel like she was hanging on the edge of a cliff. If he died then she would fall off into an abyss of blackness. Nothing would make sense anymore. Breathing would be impossible. Life would lose all its meaning if she lost her noir hero.

For a few seconds she thought she had. For a few seconds Morgan was dead, in her mind, and those few seconds were a time of suspended animation. Frozen. She couldn't believe it was true because if it was true then she had lost him forever.

His voice came back on the line. Her body sagged with relief. And then he said it. He said the words he had been trying to get out earlier but either he was too distracted with driving or he couldn't find the right phrase because he almost got there but not quite before he had to throw himself out of the ambulance.

He came back on the line and called her his God given solace. She told him she was mad at him and hung up. Now she was making her way across the city, in a cab, when the streets were crowded with traffic and cops. She knew she'd have to flash her FBI credentials to make it into the hospital. But make it in there she would.

Because she had to see him with her own two eyes.

Morgan had shocked her once a few months back by saying he loved her. She believed him but she knew he was also emotionally wrought at that time, as was she, and it wasn't something that meant anything was changing between them.

Tonight he thought he could die. Tonight he was just as emotionally wrought. But tonight it meant something. At least to her.

Because he knew she was dating Kevin Lynch. And Morgan still was going to use his last words ever spoken not to say "Tell my Mom I love her," and not to say "Make sure no one ever forgets me," or even "Name a kid after me, Garcia." No he was using them to tell her what she meant to him and it was hard.

He didn't spit it right out. He rooted around for the phrase that would tell her all she was in his heart and his soul. He used his last possible seconds on earth to think of her.

And then he jumped out, not knowing if it was in time, and then he lived. And he used his first moments of the life he still had to finish what he started as he told her who she was to him: his God given solace who he never wanted to stop talking to him.

If she doubted his love was a romantic kind a few months before she did not doubt him now. She had let her insecurities tell her Kevin is who she could get and who was right for her but Kevin didn't make her heart soar. He wasn't the one who had her blood rushing hot through her veins for years now.

Kevin wasn't her hero. Kevin wasn't the one who she had the pile of amazing memories with her. Kevin was a good guy but he wasn't Derek Morgan.

Penelope had thought she couldn't really get Derek and she couldn't really keep him and it was better to just be with the guy she could get and keep. To not risk more with the hunk who didn't do love.

Now she knew Derek did do love. Because in between the two life threatening situations he had his chance to stop caring about her. To get mad and get over her. But he didn't. Maybe he couldn't.

He was in love with her. She was sure of it. And she wanted to know when he planned to do something about it.

XXXXXXXXX

Derek's shoulder was still sore as hell but otherwise he was all right. His clothes were a little tattered and dirty though. He could use a long hot shower and to get into some sweats.

Still that wasn't at the top of his priority list. He was worried about Hotch because he was injured and he was upset that Agent Kate Joyner had died, despite Hotch's best efforts to save her.

There was enough pain and guilt to go around on this case. Derek would be glad to get back to Quantico and put this whole thing behind him.

Being in New York had made him think about a lot of things he had been trying to not think about recently. He was told he might get offered a job here. That made him wonder if he could leave Penelope. And what in the hell he hoped to accomplish if he stayed in Virginia with her. She had a man. Besides nobody in the BAU could ever make a relationship work and he doubted he'd be the one who pulled it off. She made it clear she wasn't interested anyway.

Then he was in an ambulance wired to explode and the clock was ticking down. Suddenly it didn't matter how hurt, mad, betrayed, and disappointed he was over her. Suddenly all he knew was she was there in his ear, trying to keep him alive, and if he died then she should know she had made his life so much better by being his friend.

What he wanted to say was "Baby girl, I'm so in love with you that it's painful to go on another day without being your man," but he couldn't tell that to her when he hoped to live and then he would have to face her each day with no way to pretend he meant something different...less.

But what he said wasn't meant to be any less. His God given solace. It was his way of saying he loved her and needed her and couldn't live without having her in his world. Then he told her the part he hoped she understood the most: _whatever happens_.

That was his way of saying that even if he took a job in New York and she married Lynch that she would still be the one who had his heart and nothing could change the fact that he wanted to hear her voice on the other end of his phone every day for the rest of his life.

If that is all he could have then that would just have to be enough. He did love her but she was also his best friend and his strength during the worse times. He wanted to be that for her too.

There was just so many times now when it hurt to look at her. When he had to fake his smile and try not to imagine Lynch's hands on her body, his mouth on her neck, his words making her believe in a love that she refused to believe in with Derek.

But the next time he saw her he wouldn't mention any of that. He'd just smile for her and get through another day without her.

What else could he do really? She made her choice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Penelope's heart was in her throat when she walked up to the cubicle that she had been told Derek was in. She knew he was basically okay and just getting checked out as a precaution.

It wasn't worry about him being injured that made it so she could barely think straight. It was knowing that he loved her.

For the first time in all the time they knew each other she was going to look in his eyes and have no doubts that he was in love with his baby girl- maybe even madly in love with her. How about that, huh?

It made her feel light and warm all at the same time.

Walking into the cubicle in the ER she said spotted him and whispered his name "Derek."

His head jerked up. He saw her and gave her a smile. "Garcia, I'm just fine. Look at me, mama, hardly a scratch. Tell me I don't make near death experiences look good."

She shuffled closer to him, still dazed. Her eyes took in his face, lovingly memorizing him and thinking of how close he came to not being here.

Seeing how emotional she was he added "Take a good look, baby girl, I'm all in one piece."

"Never scare me like that again," she whispered

"You know that wasn't exactly fun for me either but I needed to do it and it all worked out. Thanks for calling me to check on me. It saved me having to call you and we know that every second counted tonight."

"Earlier today, when we didn't know whose SUV had blown up, I called you first. Do you know why?"

He just looked in her eyes, encouraging her to go on.

She said "I care about everyone on this whole team. I love them all. I don't want to lose any of them. But I called you first because if I lose you then this world will be a very ugly place for me....devoid of the best hero who I've ever had the honor and the privilege and the pleasure of having in my life."

"I'm no kind of hero. Today wasn't about being a hero. It was about doing what I could to protect our family."

"Do you ever stop and think about yourself first? Not what's best for me or the team or what to do to solve the case and get the unsub but what is best just for you? Don't answer because I know the answer. You don't. You nobly forsake your own health and happiness for the greater good and, for the most part, that is a beautiful thing. Even when it terrifies me. But sometimes, Morgan, its just a plain stupid and wrong way to go."

"Okay, Garcia, that's enough. I know you're mad about tonight but lay off me please. I've had a hell of a day, baby."

"I won't lay off you because you have to hear this-"

"Drop it! I did what I had to do tonight! I thought you'd understand that!"

"Morgan-"

"Please, just be my sweet baby girl for me right now."

"But I'm mad at you."

He let out a long breath. "I know it but you can be mad tomorrow. Right now just go back to the hotel and get yourself some rest."

"Without you? Forget it. That's not happening. I may be mad at you for being stubborn but I can overlook it because I know you did it all for me."

His eyes narrowed at her.

She went on "You didn't want to get in the way of what I have with Kevin so you stepped back. You took the noble way out. You could have fought for me or at least screamed at me but you didn't. You were right there still being as good to me as ever. But sometimes being the noble hero is foolish......I'm your God given solace, Derek?"

"Penelope, baby, I didn't say that....I didn't say that to try and get you to leave Lynch for me. I just said it because....it's the truth. You make it possible for me to stay sane, woman, and for that fact.....I love you."

She took her hands, cupped his cheeks and kissed him before she could chicken out. Then she said "I love you too, handsome, and I'm so sorry for having to be knocked over the head by a near death experience to see how true your feelings are for me. I've been stupid, Morgan. Can you forgive me my stupidity and blindness?"

Just then a doctor came in. "How are you feeling, Agent Morgan? Any pain I should know about?"

"I think I have a head injury."

Penelope gasped and her hand moved to his head to feel for a bump. "You hurt your head? Why didn't you say anything?"

Derek told the doctor "I'm having these vivid visions."

The doctor asked "What kind of visions?"

Penelope's frown turned into a smile. Derek smiled back at her. "That the woman I love showed up here to tell me it looks like I won't be spending my life alone missing her."

The doctor caught on. "Oh and how about the shoulder?"

Derek grabbed Penelope by the waist and pulled her into a heated kiss. The doctor said "I'll order some x-rays just to be on the safe side. Uh...yeah...ignore me. I was just leaving anyway."

Penelope broke away from Derek, giggling. "You scared him off."

"Good cause I want you all to myself, baby girl," then he pulled her close and they kissed again.

THE END

Inspired by I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You. Song by Savage Garden. Mvid by AndyGibbs.


	14. All Tangled Up Inside

**All Tangled Up Inside**

**Chapter One**

**April 2010**

With every step she took across the hotel lobby, getting closer to the rest of the team that was already gathered to head to the airport, Penelope Garcia experienced flashes of memories. This had been happening to her since the moment her eyes opened that morning.

Derek had his eyes fixated on her as she got closer to the group. But his gaze revealed nothing about if he remembered the drunken kiss they shared in the back seat of the taxi the night before.

What if it was just a blur for him?

She didn't know what it meant, if anything, but what she did know was she had a boyfriend and his name was not Derek Morgan.

Yet it wasn't Kevin who gave her a kiss that burned her lips and imprinted itself on her mind, heart and soul. That was all Derek.

Penelope seriously wondered how she could ever kiss Kevin again after knowing what it felt like to have Derek's lips on hers and his arms locking her body tight against him. All at once, when their lips connected, she had felt completely free and completely safe at the same time. That particular sensation had never happened to her before. His kiss left her tingling from head to toe. Her mind hazy. Her breathing shallow. And then the cab had pulled up to the hotel, followed by cabs that held their friends, and the moment was over.

As if nothing had happened at all they went to their own hotel rooms and didn't call each other or knock on each other's door in the middle of the night. The wine in her system left her feeling sleepy so she didn't stay up all night wondering what in the world would happen next.

But she distinctly remembered falling asleep saying his name over and over in a sing-song fashion "Morgan. Morgan. Morgan. Morgan. Morgan," still giddy from what had happened.

Now she told herself that maybe he had forgotten it and it would never be mentioned between them. She wasn't sure she could deal with that but then again it would make things so much easier if she didn't have to face the feelings she had been pushing down for years now.

As she reached her co-workers she said "Good morning, my lovelies, did you all sleep well?"

Most everyone mumbled or groaned, letting her know they were still cranky and hung over. They had been stuck in Seattle another night because of torrential rain and decided to hit a bar after they had dinner.

Derek answered "Like a baby," with his eyes locked on hers. The heat that filled his eyes was unmistakable.

She swallowed hard. He _remembered._

XXXXXXXXXX

Penelope attempted to sit in the front of the plane where she could get some privacy and time to think but Derek wasn't having it. He followed behind her onto the plane, carrying her luggage and his own, stopped in the middle section and stowed everything overhead.

He stepped out of the aisle and let everyone else grab a seat and then he said, in a teasing tone, "Hey, Garcia."

She cocked her head around and looked back at him. He was crooking his finger at her and smiling. Then he motioned to a seat and said "Right here, hard head."

With her face burning and the feeling that everyone on the plane knew her and Derek had kissed she got up and moved over there. It would only cause lots of speculation if she begged off.

She spent the whole flight sitting facing him, with his eyes staring at her, hour after hour, and all the conversation around her going in one ear and out the other. The look in his eyes told her that not only did he remembered but he wanted to kiss her again. _Gulp_.

XXXXXXXXXX

Back in the bullpen Penelope tried to hurry to her office, her whole body on fire from the way Derek had been staring at her on the plane, but he called out to her "Baby girl, don't you go rushing off just yet."

She turned around.

He grinned at her "You. Me. Dinner tonight. What do you say?"

"I'm sorry. I have plans with Kevin."

Derek's face fell. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh…okay."

"I really am sorry, handsome," she said quietly.

"No. Don't worry about it. Yeah….uh….some other time, I guess. Night, Garcia."

She spun away and walked as fast as she could to the sanctuary of her bunker where she could try and think straight again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Derek sat down at his desk, letting out a heavy sigh, and shook his head. Then he rubbed his palm on his forehead.

He had been lying to himself since last night. Telling himself that kiss meant something to her and she wasn't going to let it be the only one they ever shared.

_Fool_, he spat at himself in his head.

If she was sticking with Lynch then he had to get over what happened the night before. He hated that he was back in this place again. Built up by her only to be crushed again.

Two years before he had no doubt in his mind that she knew he was in love with her and last night he had no doubt in his mind she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But in the cold light of day now, just like what happened two years back, it all looked different.

And once again he was left with empty arms and a head full of questions about why she didn't want him to be her man.

_Standing in the rain in front of the bar the team broke off to fill the three cabs they had called to haul them back to the hotel. Derek watched as Penelope headed to one with JJ. He called out "Get your sexy ass over here, baby girl. You're riding with me."_

_She was more than tipsy on wine and giggled at his possessive tone. She walked over and got in the cab. He followed her inside and closed the door then told the cabbie the name of the hotel.__He could feel the warmth of her body heat and it sent his blood boiling. _

_He turned and looked at her, in that cramped back seat, and said "I have one word for tonight: finally. This better not be the last time either. I'm hooked now."_

_She smiled the sweetest smile. "Hot Stuff, you know what happens in Seattle stays in Seattle," she answered him, referring to the fact that they had danced for the first time after much begging by Derek._

"_That right?" he asked her. His voice was low and filled with desire. "Who says?"_

_Her eyes were moving between his eyes and mouth. She pressed closer to him. "Oh my…..you're the sexiest man God ever made."_

_He whispered "Come get your sexy man."_

_For a second her eyes searched his but then she stopped thinking and pressed her lips to his. His hands dove into her hair and held her head still so he could control the kiss, deepening it and tasting her in the way he had wanted to for what seemed like all his life now. His arms wrapped around her and brought as close to him as he could, elicting a moan out of her as her tongue slid against his._

_All too soon the cab bumped to a stop. "$27.50"_

_Derek gave him a fifty and climbed out. The rest of the team was around and that stopped him from saying anything more to Penelope. She looked completely overtaken by lust. Seeing that look in her eye convinced him they were okay._

_She wanted that kiss. She wanted more kisses. The woman he thought he had lost the chance to love…the only woman he ever wanted to give his heart to….wasn't lost after all. She was closer than ever now._

_He couldn't stop smiling as he went to his room, ripped off his clothes until he just wore boxers and fell into bed, exhausted by the long day and the beers he had._

_Derek dreamt of his baby girl and woke up more convinced than ever that they were just about to become a couple after way too many missed chances to be with each other that they both let slip by for years._

_Now was their time. He couldn't wait to see her again._


	15. Tangled, part two

**All Tangled Up Inside**

**Chapter Two**

**April 2010**

The team got no break after the case in Seattle. They had to be into the work the next morning. Derek did not want to be a prick to Penelope but he was pissed off and felt like he wouldn't even be able to look at her that day.

His jaw was tensed as he sat on his desk, drinking his coffee, and quietly chatting with Reid.

When Penelope went walking by he knew he wasn't going to engage in any flirty banter with her. Acting like this was not new for them. Ever since Battle came into there lives their were periods of time when nothing seemed to go right for them: after she got with Lynch, after New York when she didn't give a damn that she was his God given solace, after he met Tamara and she got upset about it, and during his temporary promotion.

They'd have a great moment together right before a hellish month of near silence and then they'd slowly go back to being them until the next perfect moment followed by the sad and sick feeling that followed when he realized that perfect moment didn't mean the same to her as him.

Now he was feeling that way again. And this time he didn't know how he'd get through his grief. When she walked by he didn't even spare her a glance.

XXXXXXXXXX

The team got a case in Milwaukee that afternoon. They decided to brief on the plane to save time. When Penelope's face came up on the screen Derek went rigid.

Her eyes were all puffy as if she had been sobbing.

After JJ told them all about the case she asked Penelope "Garcia, you okay today?" while throwing a look at Derek because surely he should know if something was wrong with their favorite hacker.

"No worries. Its just allergies. Garcia out."

After the briefing Derek got up and walked to the galley of the plane, dialing Penelope's number as he went.

As soon as she answered he said "Don't lie to me. You've been crying your guts out, haven't you?"

"Don't feel like getting into this right now."

"Too freaking bad. You know I can't work if all I'm thinking about is us fighting."

"Are we fighting?"

"No so stop crying. There's nothing to be upset about. I'm good. I'm over it."

"Oh."

"We got it out of our systems. Don't make this more than it is."

"Right. Okay."

"Baby girl…."

"Yeah?"

"Just don't cry anymore. We're all right. What happened was no big deal."

"Good to know. Glad this is _no big deal_."

"Garcia-"

"No, really, I'm glad you're _over_ it. That works out great for me! Since I just dumped my boyfriend for you and all. Good to know I'm out of your system. You're such an ass!" Click.

He stared at his phone and shook his head. When he called back she didn't answer.

XXXXXXXXXX

That night Derek sat at the hotel bar. He was stuck sharing a hotel room with Reid so he couldn't call Penelope from there. He had Prentiss call her all day for work so that he could keep his mind as focused as possible on the case. When he spoke to her he wanted to really make it count.

But she didn't answer his call again. So he left her a message "Baby girl, I just want you to know that I miss you and I hate fighting with you. This should be the happiest time of our lives….when I get home go to dinner with me, please…..We can still work this out, girl. I know we can. I said everything wrong but you got to know why. Don't be hard headed., Penelope. Not this time…..When you go to bed tonight think about my arms around you. That's the way it should be, baby."

_(You got someone here wants to make it all right._

_Someone who loves you more than life right here._

_-_

_Y__ou got willing arms that'll hold you tight._

_A hand to lead you on through the night right here._

_-_

_I know your heart _

_can get all tangled up inside_

_but don't you keep it to yourself_

_-_

_When your long day is over _

_and you can barely drag your feet,_

_the weight of the world is on your shoulders,_

_I know what you need._

_-_

_Bring it on home to me_) (Little Big Town)

After he hung up he sat there and thought about how very close they were to being together. And yet it still felt like they were so far apart. It ate at him when she was mad at him or when she was hurt. Tonight she was both and he was aching over the pain his baby girl was in.

XXXXXXXXXX

Derek woke up the next morning and checked his phone and e-mail. He could hear Reid in the shower.

Derek had an e-mail from Penelope:

_Sweetness, _

_We always hurt the ones we love most. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was upset about arguing with Kevin and on edge about everything. I took it out on you. _

_I'd cook you dinner to make up for it but we both know if I get you anywhere near a bed I'd have my wicked way with you and the food would burn to a crisp. A restaurant is probably safer for now. _

_I miss you too, Hot Stuff, and I'm not over us kissing. It was a big deal. I know you tried to let me off the hook when you said otherwise but who says I want off the hook? Not me. _

_I want to get another taste of my sexy chocolate God of thunder. Don't play hard to get. You know you want my sugar lips on yours again too. Catch that bad guy and get back home to me as fast as you can. I'll be counting the seconds._

_Smooches! _

_Loving you madly,_

_Your sweetheart_

Derek was knocked out of his thoughts by Reid's voice. The younger man had just walked out of the bathroom and was drying his hair. He asked "What are you so happy about this early in the morning?"

With a big grin on his face Derek answered "This is gonna be a good day, kid."

XXXXXXXXXX

It was around nine pm that night when Derek walked into Penelope's office. "Baby girl."

She spun around. A smile graced her lips as her eyes searched his. He walked closer to her and stuck out his hand. She took it. He tugged her to her feet and pulled her flush against him.

First he let out a long, relieved breath and then he dropped his voice and told her "Girl, its good to be home."

Her eyes lit up and danced with happiness. "My hero back from the fight to save the world."

"I'm no hero, baby. You know that."

"Shhh. Don't argue with me when I'm all giddy."

He chuckled. "Oh yeah? Giddy? Lets just see if we can make you twice as giddy." He leaned toward her.

She whispered "Go for three times as giddy. You're a high achiever, Hot Stuff."

He was smiling as he caught her lips in slow tender kiss.

(_You know I know you like the back of my hand_

_but did you know I'm gonna do _

_all that I can right here?_

_-_

_I'm gonna lie with you till you fall asleep._

_When the morning comes _

_I'm still gonna be right here (yes I am)_

_So take your worries and just drop them at the door_

_-_

_Baby leave it all behind_)

As Derek broke the kiss his hands were holding her face. "Thank you for being brave and for picking me."

"Thank you, baby, for my second chance."

He rested his forehead against hers. His voice was thick when he said "I've fallen in and out of love with you so many times, girl. I can't get over you."

"Out of love?"

"It never lasts, baby girl. It never could."

She gave him a sweet smile. "Lets try to keep you in love this time," she told him and then gave him another kiss.

(_When your long day is over_

_and you can barely drag your feet,_

_the weight of the world is on your shoulders,_

_I __know what you need._

_-_

_Bring it on home to me_

_-_

_Baby let me be your safe harbor._

_Don't let the water come and carry you away_

_-_

_You got someone here wants to make it alright_

_Someone who loves you more than life_

_right here _)

THE END

Inspired by Mr. Brightside. Song by The Killers. Mvid by KateTodd 1989.


	16. Hotter Than Ever

**Note- **_This fic is set during and after season five episode twelve titled The Uncanny Valley where Penelope surprised Derek by dying her hair red. He first found out when he was sitting on the jet and her face came up on the lap top, which he had pointed right at him._

_This fic assumes that Derek and Penelope hooked up around Christmas time._

**Hotter Than Ever **

"Woman, you really should get a spanking this time," he said into his cell as he stood in the galley of the plane. "You and your sexy red hair have me hard as hell right now. You think you could have given me a head's up and a private unveiling of your new style? Hmmm?"

She chuckled in her sexy, throaty way that made his heart race. "What would be the fun in that, my love? Besides now you have some added motivation to hurry home to mama so you can run your fingers through my crimson locks."

"Any particular reason you went red, baby girl?"

"Just in the mood. Fear not your Goddess shall be the blonde bombshell you know and crave so desperately once again one day. Until then you'll just have to get your thrills with a sexy red head who knows all the spots on you to make you scream."

"That goes both ways, Penelope."

"Ohhhh, but its you, mon cher, who screams the loudest."

"Is that a dare? Cause I've never backed down from a dare in my life. You should be careful before that dirty mouth of yours gets you in trouble."

"If talking dirty is a crime then lock me up and throw away the key- just as long as you lock me to your bed."

He chuckled. "Okay, behave now! I need to get back to the team and they are definitely going to be suspicious if I was to go out there in the condition you have me in right now."

"If I came along on this case my wicked and willing tongue could handle your little condition."

"Little?" he mocked. "That's it, baby girl, you're getting taught a lesson just as soon as I get home."

"I'll just have to bend over and take my punishment like the good girl you seem to want me to be. Make sure you really teach me a lesson this time, Derek. Don't stop till I'm whimpering for relief."

"Garcia," he said through clenched teeth as his pants tightened even more "enough! You got to give it a rest so I can focus on work."

"Sorry!" she said in the cutest voice that made his heart melt. Then she added, in a smoky and sex filled tone, "But not really," before she hung up.

Derek grinned and stared at his cell phone. Damn, he loved dating her. It was well worth the wait and the pain that came before.

And now she was a hot red head, at least for a little while, which gave him a whole new way to imagine her in his fantasies. She knew just how to keep him hot and bothered twenty four hours a day. But he wouldn't want it any other way.

XXXXXXXXXX

Penelope planned to tease and torture Derek really good once she got him back to his place later on tonight. The team had returned from their latest case and they all decided to hit the bar.

As usual Derek made sure to sit right next to Penelope. They were trying to keep the fact that they were now a couple from the team for a little while. They didn't want everyone at work talking about it since Lynch worked in the same building. They wanted to give him some time to get over the break up.

Knowing this Derek was supposed to keep his hands off her in public. Instead of doing that tonight he had snuck one hand under the table and was caressing her thigh.

It was all Penelope could do not to squirm as heat sizzled through her body at his touch. His large, warm hand massaging her thigh was making her wet and ready for him. And making it incredibly hard to focus on the story Rossi was telling about the first time he went out on a book tour.

Derek shifted in his seat, so he was even closer to her, and let one finger slip between her legs. It skimmed the edge of her panties.

Penelope's breasts were heavy, aching to be caressed, and her nipples were hard. She was going to really get her payback on him for putting her in this position in public.

Her face felt like it was on fire. She gulped her drink and then said "I want to dance!" which was something she hadn't said in all the years they came to this bar.

Derek moved away from her and looked at her. "Well its about time, baby girl."

She smirked at him. "I was thinking the same exact thing, handsome." Then she turned and looked at Reid "Come on, boy genius, lets have ourselves some fun."

Derek sputtered and choked on his drink, losing his cool veneer as he watched Penelope stand up and try to coax Reid into dancing with her. Reid kept saying his leg wasn't up for it. She told him it had been healed for a while now and to stop being a spoil sport but he wouldn't budge from his seat.

Penelope pouted "I guess I'll have to go with my second choice. Hot Stuff, you in the mood?"

Derek gave her a heated look. He slowly stood up, took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. Into her ear he said "You will pay for that later."

She whispered back "Right after you pay for teasing me all night."

Derek's hands went to her hips and jerked her flush with him.

Penelope stiffened "What are you doing?"

"Dancing, baby girl, what do you think?"

"I don't know. Is this how you....ohhhhhh, wow, that's so.....mmmmm."

He was pressing himself against her and moving their lower bodies to the rhythm of the music. Derek chuckled against her ear. "You just don't know what you've been missing all these years."

Her arms wrapped around his neck. She let out a sinful soft moan. "Meet me at your place, baby. You leave first and I'll follow in ten minutes."

"Not so fast. We're barely got started dancing."

"And if we keep going the least of our problems will be the team finding out we're dating. We'll be arrested for indecent exposure when I rip off every last shred of clothing and take you on the floor in front of everyone here."

He teased "Thought you don't like being exposed to prying eyes?"

"Right about now I wouldn't be able to see anyone else but your chocolate God body. And if you want to see your fiery haired Goddess in all her glory tonight then you better get moving out the door before I get mad at you and put you on punishment."

"Woman, you do know how to make me do whatever you want."

She nodded with an adorable grin on her lips.

Derek laughed as he guided her back to the table. "I'm beat everyone. I'm taking off. Make sure my baby girl gets to her car safe, all right?"

"You're so sweet, handsome."

He gave her a long look. "Just looking out for my girl."

"You really must be tired if you're going home alone tonight," Penelope teased "The women in here won't know what to think if you don't even attempt to take one of them home. Are you losing your game, Morgan?"

Reid started in with "Statistically speaking, as men age their testosterone levels decline which leads to a decreased sex drive-"

Derek said "Kid, my testosterone levels are fine, all right? I'm just tired."

Emily said "You've been too tired to pick up any chicks for a couple of years now. You must really need some rest. Or else some Viagra."

Derek shook his head at her, in a playful way, and said "I'll get you back for that one, Prentiss," before he walked off.

Penelope was grinning from ear-to-ear as she watched him leave.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the time Penelope made it to Derek's house he had let Clooney out into the back yard, then Derek stripped down to just his jeans and put on some music.

Penelope used her key to come in. She dropped her purse on the couch, shucked out of her coat and gloves and then headed toward the bedroom, where she found a shirtless Derek dancing seductively. He said "Ready to finish what we started at the bar?"

"More like I'm ready to make you see what it feels like to have a hand on your thigh that won't move to where you want it to be. You were so bad with how you were teasing me tonight."

"That wasn't about teasing you. I just couldn't wait any longer to get my hands on you." He nuzzled her neck as he wrapped one arm around her back and pulled her tight against him, rocking their bodies to the beat of the music. "Mmmm, I missed you, sweetheart. My sexy red headed mama looking all fine on that computer screen knowing I couldn't do a damn thing about it."

"So do something now, Hot Stuff."

Wearing a huge grin he picked her up. She squealed and wrapped her legs around his back as their lips met in a torrid kiss. A few large steps took them to the bed where Derek laid her on her back and followed her down.

He gently took the hair clips out of her hair and then ran his fingers through it. "Don't get me wrong, I want my blonde Goddess back one day but I'm gonna enjoy this sexy firecracker red head I get to be with right now."

She pushed him on his back and straddled him. "Don't you know red heads like to be in charge?"

Derek didn't stop smiling till he was moaning, then screaming then calling out her name, which was how it always went ever since they started sleeping together. Sometimes it was intensely emotional and sometimes it was quick and dirty. Every time they made love he was amazed by how right and good it was.

The last couple of years were hard on him but now the pain was falling away in the loving arms of his baby girl- the sexiest woman he ever met, blonde or red head or with pink streaks in her hair. She was always too hot for words and he was always left wanting more and more and more.....and now she was willing to give him as much as he wanted.

They wouldn't get out of this bed till the last possible moment they could in the morning, in order to not be late for work, and for every second of the time they were in his bed together they would be touching.

He intended to spank her sexy little ass at some point for getting him hard when he was on the plane but first he wanted to sink himself inside of her, feel like he was home, and whisper in her ear "I love you, silly girl," like he did every time they made love.

Derek had his priorities after all.

**THE END**

**Inspired by Down. Song by Jay Sean featuring Little Wayne. Mvid by Corbin's Girl 4evs 7777.**


	17. Perfect, Simple Kind of Loving

**Perfect, Simple Kind of Loving**

"Can you please do _something_?!" Penelope ranted as she paced her living room.

"Like what, baby girl?"

"Something! Something more than just sit there."

Derek stood up. "Better?"

"Ugh! How can you be so calm? You do remember what is going on here right now, right? It hasn't slipped out of that gorgeous mind of yours, has it?"

She could tell he was trying hard not to laugh which only frustrated her more. Penelope went on, as she paced and her arms failed, "This was not in the game plan!"

"Face it, we had no game plan."

"Fine. You're right about that much, baby, _we_ didn't but _I_ did and this is just not the way this was supposed to happen to me, if it ever happened. I wanted to be-" She struggled for the right word. "In a different place in my life."

"You proposing to me, Garcia?"

She picked up a cushion off the couch and flung it at him. He ducked and chuckled.

"Settled," she found the word. "I wanted to be settled first."

"Oops." He smirked at her.

She gave him a glare that was only half serious. "Can you at least try not to seem so damn happy right now?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I am happy."

She shook her head and glared some more until he wiped the smile off his lips. Derek asked "You saying you're not even a little bit happy to think that-?"

"I don't know yet! I haven't decided what I feel and it would be helpful if you could freak out with me."

He thought about that for a moment and then asked "Does it help you any if I say that I would have freaked out if this happened five years ago?"

"No, Derek, that doesn't help at all."

With a small grin on his lips he walked close to her and placed his hands on her arms. "We don't know anything yet so freaking out now is premature anyway."

"But you want this. Now I'm going to feel bad if I'm not-"

"Shhh, hush, woman. Don't worry about me being disappointed. I'll just take this as a sign we need to do a lot more practicing."

The slightest ghost of a smile curved her lips and then the egg timer dinged, signaling it was time to check the home pregnancy test. Penelope nearly jumped out of her skin. "OH! Its ready! You go check it. I can't look. I can't believe that condom broke. I really can't. I knew I should have gotten back on the pill the second we got together. Everything is still so new and now this. You know how hard it is to make it through a pregnancy without fighting and then through having a baby in our home...I mean my home and your home since we don't share a home...Go look at the test, Derek! What are you waiting for?"

He led her to the couch and encouraged her to sit down. "You need to sit down right here and take some deep breaths. Relax." He crouched in front of her. "We can handle anything, baby girl, just as long as we stick tight to each other. We handled going from just best friends to best friends who are lovers, right?"

She nodded.

He went on "So we can handle being best friends who are lovers and have a gorgeous baby they share, right?"

"I....would like to believe so but I don't know. I'm scared that this is just bad timing and somehow this will be more than I can deal with....and I'll lose you along the way."

He cupped her cheek. "Never, sweetness. You're my girl and that's not changing. I won't let it. I love you too much to walk away or let you walk away, not when you love me too. We can do this." He gave her a big grin. "You know you wanna have my baby, mama."

A small smile came on her lips. "I didn't ever say I don't want that, handsome. I just don't know if I want it a few months after we became lovers."

He shrugged slightly. "You should have thought of that before you showed me such a good night, baby girl."

She playfully slapped his chest. "You were right there doing your part to make that night go down in the annuals as the best sex ever between a hunky Adonis and his Goddess."

Derek grinned and stood up. "Best sex so far. Don't sell us short, babe." He studied her for a minute and then held out his hand. "Wanna come with me to see if our first child is on the way?"

"You do it. I think I might pass out if I stand up right now."

His eyes filled with concern. "You're dizzy?"

"Just nervous as hell, baby. Please, go see what it says."

"Okay, here goes, Garcia." Derek was smiling as he walked to her bathroom. A minute passed and then he came back, carrying the test, and his smile was even bigger.

Penelope's hands covered her mouth.

Derek came over and sat next to her on the couch. He showed her the test. "Congratulations," he said softly, his voice filled with love.

Letting out a long breath, Penelope looped one arm around the back of his neck and leaned her forehead against his, looking down at the test in his hand as she did. "Wowza!"

He chuckled tearfully. "Hey, silly girl, its gonna be okay, I promise you that."

"So much is going to change."

"For the better. I know this will just make us closer. Don't push me away because I couldn't stand to be on the outside looking in as the woman I love carries our baby. I wanna be next to you for every bit of this....and every bit of our kid's life."

Raising her hand she cupped his face and asked, hesitantly, "That sounds like we are kind of...settled, doesn't it?"

He smiled. "Bet your sexy ass we are, baby girl. I'm settled on having you as mine from now on."

She gave him a short, sensual kiss. "Congratulations, Papi."

He wrapped her in his arms, letting the test fall to his lap, "I love you, baby girl, and there's no fear in me about this. I'm not who I was five years ago when I told you that I'd never be like Hotch.....with a wife and kid at home tying me down...I should have never said that. I was lying to you and a part of me knew it then but I said it because I wasn't ready for us yet. I'm ready, willing and able now." He pulled back and looked at her stomach. His voice got thick with emotion as he said "We made a baby, baby girl, and its, by far, the best surprise of my life."

She hugged him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're so happy, baby, but I still don't know how we're gonna pull this off."

"Together, that's how."

Penelope smiled sweetly. Her lips found his and they made love as the afternoon sunlight drifted in her window.

There was a time when Derek would have flipped out over the idea of an unexpected pregnancy, and been sure he just couldn't be enough for any woman or any child, but now he knew better. The love and devotion that Penelope had given him over the years healed parts of him he used to believe were forever damaged. And the way he learned to be patient and see past his own fears and doubts so he could believe they would one day get their chance- back when it seemed like they never would- had made him more of a man than anything else in his life ever had.

Now he was the man he used to think he couldn't be. The man who was ready to be a husband and a father and a lifetime partner to his baby girl and to their babies....the first one which was on the way and all the ones he hoped Penelope would agree to having as the years went by.

Derek had always been an overachiever. Just having the most perfect wife and first born would not be the end of his longing. In the future, he already knew, he would definitely be making love to his sweetheart and begging for another chance to hear "Congratulations, Papi!"

**THE END**

Inspired by Do I? Song by Luke Bryan. Mvid by sweet09kisses. The title of this comes from the song lyrics.


	18. Jumping The Broom

**Note-** _This one shot is a follow up to Perfect, Simple Kind of Loving, which immediately precedes it in this series. The title of this fic is an African American euphuism for getting married. _

**Jumping The Broom**

Derek woke up to see Penelope walking out of the bathroom in their hotel room. She was wearing a pink silk robe, her six month pregnant stomach showing her baby bump, which his eyes loving took in.

"Good morning, princess."

"That's Mrs. Morgan to you, Hot Stuff." She climbed back in bed and laid her head on his chest. He rubbed circles on her back.

He could hardly believe this first morning of their marriage had arrived. It hadn't been easy to convince Penelope to become his wife at this stage in their relationship. They had only been dating eight months and had been pregnant the majority of that time, which added its own worries and stresses to everything.

Derek relished the whole experience- going to every appointment he could manage, having a sonogram photo framed on his desk, buying baby clothes in Chicago Cubs theme and decorating a purple nursery in his home, plus reading all the parenting books that he could get his hands on. Penelope was more of a worrier though and she always was bringing up new concerns about how they would deal with this or that when the baby came- money, child care, religion, schooling, vaccinations, the dangerous world and their fast track careers. Derek spent a lot of time telling her they would figure out each problem as it came.

And the rest of the time he spent begging her to marry him.

_He was poised over her, just about to thrust into her, when he whispered, his tone filled with love and desperation "Please say yes, baby girl."_

_She had agreed right away to marry him, when he asked her in a romantic proposal a few week before but she stipulated that the ceremony would be in a year or more. After they proved they could stay together through the birth of their child and the hectic time when the baby first came home from the hospital. _

_Derek didn't like the idea of Penelope going into labor without being his wife. Legally he wanted to be her husband so he could make decisions for her and also so that when their baby was born they were a family unit in the eyes of the whole world. He didn't want to wait and see if they would last. He felt in his heart that there was no doubt they would._

_So now he kept asking her to push the ceremony up. _

_"No fair," she whispered as she withered beneath him. "You know I'd agree to anything when you have me in this condition."_

_He grinned and stroked against her, teasing her. "I hear a yes about to come off those sexy lips...."_

_"Derek!" she said, smiling and chuckling and grabbing his ass. _

_He thrust into her. She didn't say yes that night. It was a few weeks later after they went to see his mother. A talk with Fran and also Penelope noticing Derek's true pain and heartache over her not wanting to marry him right away led to her waking him up one morning by whispering in his ear "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Hot Stuff. Set a date."_

_That was one good morning she showed him._

He titled her face up to look at him and stroked his hand down her cheek. "Look at this, sexy mama. You're my wifey."

She smiled at him. "I scored the sexiest hubby in the whole known universe."

He chuckled as he gave her a short kiss, moaning softly when their lips met. "You're crazy, woman, and you better never change because you make my life so good being just the way you are." He kissed her again and pressed her onto her back. Looking down he said "I will never stop loving you, you know that right?"

She nodded, with happy tears in her eyes, "And I'll never go a day without letting my gorgeous hunk of a husband know just how much I love him back." Her hand slid down his chest and then took hold of his manhood. "Mmmm, its good to be Mrs. Morgan."

Derek groaned in pleasure as he smiled and lay back on the big, fluffy white pillows. They stayed in that bed for most of the weekend and then flew to St. Bart's for ten more days of lounging around a hotel room making love.

XXXXXXXXXX

Three years later found the Morgan family living in a suburban home with a brick wall around it and an electronic gate.

Derek had became extremely security conscious ever since their child was born. He was already the type to worry like hell about Penelope when he was off working cases- more so after Battle came into their lives, which seemed to be a defining moment in every way for him- but once they had a kid to protect he was officially insane about doing whatever he could to ensure his family would be happy, healthy and safe whether he was around or not to personally watch out for them.

This particular night it was around 2 am when he came home. Penelope had been there since 6:30 pm. She took eighteen months off the BAU after giving birth- which she spent working at home as a cyber detective who got evidence against child predators by pretending to be a kid in chat rooms- and when she went back to work she agreed to 12 hour shifts. There was another tech who worked from 6 pm to 6 am.

She had struggled with if she should even go back but, in the end, she missed being around her family and she missed working with Derek. It was an important part of who she was and her way to keep the world safer for their child.

Derek loved having her back at the BAU. The team had expanded and now it contained more members. Derek would sometimes lead his own team in the field and Hotch would lead a different one. Other times they worked together. There was still talk of Hotch getting promoted and leaving the field work behind but Derek wasn't sure his friend would ever be satisfied with a desk job.

Derek knew he wouldn't. Luckily Penelope hadn't asked him to give up the field work or else he would have because his first priority was keeping her happy so that their home stayed happy and his life, and the life of their child, stayed as good as it was now.

He walked in the door, petted his two dogs, and tossed his go bag on the floor. Then he armed the alarm and proceeded to walk the whole house to check for open windows and doors. Though he knew Penelope was careful with that he still always checked. It helped him to sleep to know his little family was safe.

After he was done, he yawned and headed up to the second floor. He stepped into his son's room and looked at the sleeping child- Tyler Reid Morgan. His son was lanky, like Derek was as a boy, and had a head full of black curls, which Penelope hadn't let Derek take him to get cut even once yet. It was starting to get messy and Derek was plotting a way to talk her into a haircut sooner rather than later.

Seeing that his son was resting peacefully, Derek headed to his own bedroom, changed his clothes and got in bed with his wife. He kissed Penelope's forehead and she came awake.

"Mmmm, my noir hero is home." She took a deep sniff of him, loving his smell, and then kissed his chest. "What time is it?"

"Way too late, girl. Go back to bed. You gotta get up in two hours."

"Two hours," she said, in her sexy tone that always drove him crazy. "Plenty of time to make Ty a sister."

Hearing that set Derek's blood racing and he captured her lips in an explosive kiss, his exhaustion forgotten. He had asked her a few months before if they could start trying again but she said it wasn't the best time with the busy holidays going on and Ty getting potty trained. She promised to think about it and let him know when she was ready to go off her birth control.

He started to tease her over the phone, when he was working, that he wanted to get back home to her and work on making him a Papi again. She would flirt back and get him turned on as hell with the responses she gave him for the wild kind of sex they would have when they created their next child.

Derek could barely remember now the way it felt when he used to be sure him and Penelope weren't ever gonna make it to this day- the uncertainty, the stupidity on both their parts, the pain and the doubts. That was all washed away now.

Now they were everything he used to be scared to admit he wanted. And each day they were only becoming better and better. Derek's greatest pride in life was not the fact he was a profiler or a bomb expert or all the degrees he had or lives he saved: it was being a family man.

His wife, his son, his mom and sisters, and the BAU family that he had made him prouder than anything else ever could. He could hardly wait till he could introduce his daughter to all of them.

He hoped she was just as silly and fun as her mama. Because it would be perfect to have a baby daughter as spunky and amazing as his baby girl, who was now his wifey.

**THE END**


	19. The Wait is Over

**Note-** _This story takes place during season five, episode six which was titled The Eyes Have It. At the end of the episode Penelope shows Derek his new office. You can watch this scene on you tube, if you are unfamiliar with it. He kisses her forehead and soon after she leaves. _

_The first few lines of dialogue come from the transcripts of CM._

**The Wait is Over**

Looking at the picture she gave him, Derek Morgan couldn't help but smile. It was so her. So perfect. And suddenly all his stress and worries were forgotten. All he knew, in that moment, was that she loved him.

"Woman, you have lost your mind but you are the best."

She flashed a brilliant smile as she nodded and answered "I completely agree."

"Come here."

Penelope offered Derek her forehead to kiss and he lay a lingering kiss there, as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Way to soon for his liking the moment ended when she pulled slightly back, but stayed in his embrace.

His hand moved down her back and around her waist as he squeezed her tight with friendly affection.

Her brown eyes fluttered as they rose up to connect with his. The moment lengthened, held, sizzling with tension.

He knew how to keep himself in check though. He had practice every day that he had known her. Derek was about to move back when Penelope, her eyes hazy with longing, slightly extended her neck to bring her lips closer to his. She stopped short of brushing her lips against his.

Derek inhaled the sweet smell of her-vanilla, citrus and roses- and felt the weight of her soft, warm body pressed to his side. Lost in the feel of her and the tenderness of this moment, of how she knew him so well and loved him so purely, even if it wasn't a romantic love like he sometimes longed to have with her, Derek lowered his head and gently brushed her lips with his.

Penelope's hand rose to clutch his shirt and she applied the softest pressure back before she broke their kiss. Her hand patted his chest a few times and she stepped back. "I'm going to go so you can enjoy your new uber office. You deserve this promotion and I would not be surprised in the least if one day you leave us all behind and get your own team. When that does happen though make sure you don't forget your biggest fan."

Giving him a small smile Penelope headed for the door. Derek's eyes followed her.

"Penelope," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She stopped at the door and looked back.

He went on "Thank you for everything....everything since the day we met. Thank you very much."

"Shouldn't I be thanking you? You're my sexy fantasy maker, Hot Stuff."

He chuckled and looked down.

Penelope said "Good night, you gorgeous and irresistible acting unit chief."

As soon as she left he sat down behind his new desk and picked up the photo of her again. A soft smile was on his lips.

Even though he knew she saw their kiss as friendly and didn't expect it to lead to anything- considering she had a boyfriend- Derek didn't want to let the moment go without doing something to show her his devotion.

He turned on the computer, put in his password and went to his e-mail. Selecting her personal account, instead of her work one, he wrote to her:

_Even if I was offered a team to run in some other city I would turn it down. Because you're not there. Whatever happens, it won't be me who walks away. I love you, baby girl, and that means I'll see this through to the end._

He hesitated for a long moment but then he sent the e-mail.

XXXXXXXXX

Penelope was dressed in her pajamas, in her computer room at home, when she read Derek's email. She was sipping hot chocolate and trying to shut off her mind so she could sleep.

After reading the e-mail several times she signed into her IM program and was rewarded with seeing that Derek was signed in too. In a way that was a bad sign- he couldn't sleep and knowing that haunted her- but in a way it was also the best possible thing because if she waited until morning she'd just file away the events of this day and move on like it never happened.

She was good at that. It kept her from falling to pieces. This innate ability to close her mind to yesterday's pain or joy and jump into the current day as if it was all that mattered. She learned it after her parents died but she used it whenever things were just too emotional to deal with for her.

Not letting her brain overrule her heart she sent Derek an IM: _The question is what do you want to have happen?_

It helped that it was the middle of the night. Being overly tired kept her usual defenses at bay. And the memories of his lips against hers made her body flush with pent up desires she couldn't ignore, no matter how much she tried to play it off in front of him.

Penelope sat there biting her bottom lip. A few minutes passed and she distracted herself with Facebook. It was at the point where she figured Derek wasn't going to respond, maybe he wasn't sitting in front of his computer at that moment or maybe he just didn't want to answer, when he typed back: _Dangerous question, doll face_.

She typed: _Very apropos though, don't you think?_

He typed: _Shouldn't you be asleep, beautiful angel?_

She typed: _So you can ravish me all night long in my dreams? Now that you mention it that sounds like heaven. You should be asleep too. You're the one who has a whole team to run, my handsome noble knight. I'm already thinking up a special treat to give you on boss's day. Much better than what I gave Hotch last year. Something for your gorgeous eyes only._

He replied with a smiley face.

More minutes passed. She sighed and went back to Facebook. Derek sent her a message:_ I need to get some shut eye. You do the same and I mean it. You don't want your boss to have to spank you, do you_?

She typed: _So I don't get an answer_?

A minute went by and then he typed: _Baby girl, I want you to get whatever it is you want_.

She typed back: _Cop out_.

Then she closed the program. A half hour later she was in bed when her cell rang. Reaching out to the night stand she grabbed it, knowing from the ring tone who it was, and didn't bother to put on her glasses to read the caller ID.

Penelope burrowed back under the covers. "I'm not mad at you. Go to sleep."

She could hear relief in his tone. "That's good to hear cause you know it makes me crazy when we fight."

She mumbled, exhausted and not willing to play games with him anymore today, "It takes two to fight and I'm down for the count so good night, my love. See you in the a.m."

"Garcia," he said quickly, to make sure she didn't hang up.

"Mmm-hmmm?"

She heard him let out a long breath. After a minute he said "You wanted an answer, right? Okay, here goes, what I want to happen...when all is said and done and its all figured out the way it needs to be....I want us to share an address."

Penelope bounded upright. Her heart beat out of control. Tears shimmered in her eyes.

After a minute of silence Derek said "You don't have to decide tonight. I can wait." Then he hung up.

Smiling and crying at the same time, Penelope turned on the light, put on her glasses and then called Derek back. "Do you really think I need time to decide?"

His voice was thick with emotion when he whispered "I don't know, baby. You telling me different?"

"Maybe there are no such things as happy endings but the closest thing to a happy ending for me is to be in your arms. Every second I've ever spent with you I treasure and I'd treasure the chance to rack up even more moments with you."

He whispered, his voice shaking and sounding more vulnerable than she'd ever heard, "Would you give up him for me...for us, baby girl?"

"I love you, Derek. Trust that. I wouldn't ever play with your heart and hurt you. I wouldn't have asked you how you want us to end up if I didn't know that I do anything to make sure we get there, as long as your answer was that you want to be with me. This isn't just what you want we're talking about here. Its what I want just as much as you do. I adore you, my precious, amazing hero."

For a moment she heard what sounded like him crying on the other end of the line and then he spoke, and she could tell he was smiling again, "You're the light of my life!"

"And I always will be so don't wait on me anymore....because life is too short to waste on waiting when we could be spending it doing all the delicious things we've talked about over the years."

Derek chuckled. "Oh yeah. Where do you want to start?"

"Now_ that_ is a dangerous question, sweetness," she flirted.

They spent hours talking that night and by the time the sun came up they knew they were going to be okay.

**THE END**

Inspired by Near To You. Song by A Fine Frenzy. Mvid by WhoaKittyKitty.


	20. Fight The Fear

**Fight The Fear**

__

"Hey, silly girl, I love you. You know that, right?"

"I love you too."

For every moment since he got the call that she was in the hospital Derek Morgan had wanted to say the words he just told Penelope Garcia. The fear she would not know how much she meant to him had him shaking, just as much as the fear that she would die and the fear of this unknown man who had hurt her and could come back to do it again.

Fear. He was consumed by it.

There was a relief in hearing that she loved him back. But the fear didn't die in that second. All that painful and stifling fear that he would never be what she really needed. That he couldn't be good enough, clean enough, whole enough, there enough, everything she needed in a man.

Maybe he never would be perfect enough to deserve her love but he didn't want to keep going on with the doubt and questions between them. Their words saying one thing and their actions another.

Derek wanted to be clear about where his heart was, with her always and forever, no matter what went down tomorrow. Even if they made a mess out of this and it fell apart, he didn't ever want her to think again that he hadn't fallen for her with all he had. That she didn't own his heart.

Because she did.

Derek slowly walked closer to Penelope. Raising his hands slowly he cupped her face and then bent down, going very slow as his nerves were making him feel dizzy and still so unsure she wanted him this way, and then his mouth gently pressed to hers. The moment she returned the kiss his heart soared.

Breaking their kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers and whispered "Go to bed."

Penelope gave him a very short kiss and when she spoke her voice cracked "Kissing you was so worth the mega long wait you put me through."

A small grin curved his lips as he watched her move back and into her bedroom. Derek kept his eyes on her as she got in bed before finally turning away. His body was exhausted, as the last four days finally caught up with him and the adrenaline of all that happened finally seeped from his bones. All he wanted to do was pass out on her couch but first he went to double check the door and peek out the window.

Then he lay down and prayed to God that his baby girl would be safe till morning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

His eyes locked on her as she stood across the bullpen talking to JJ and some tech guy from another unit, who had been taken hostage by Battle tonight. Though Battle was dead on the floor nearby Derek still didn't feel like he could take his eyes off Penelope for a second- like if he did maybe something bad would happen.

He wondered how he would stay sane when he had to go back to work. Luckily Hotch gave the whole team a week off and Derek as much time as he needed after that, basically until Garcia could come back to work too and be safe inside the walls of Quantico. Hotch new that if he tried to make Derek focus on anything but Penelope right now it would be a disaster.

Rossi had just asked Derek how his faith was going and Derek answered "Day by day," which was more true than he could even put in words. Each day he fought to get back the feeling that his feet were on solid ground. That Penelope was safe and healing and would not be ripped from his life any time soon. That the crisis was over. That God had answered his prayers this time and let Derek keep his baby girl, his angel on earth, here to love for many more years to come.

Derek could laugh at how stupid he had been by being afraid he wasn't ready to settle down and couldn't give her enough to make her happy. That maybe in the future, one distant and murky day years from now, he could be who she deserved. Thinking that way had cost him four years when he could have been making love to her and he wasn't going to be an idiot for another four or forty years. He wasn't going to let fear keep him away from the only woman who really lit up his world.

Hotch told Morgan "Take good care of her."

"I intend to," Morgan said as he walked back across the bullpen and up to Penelope.

She was shaking hands with the tech guy. Her eyes caught Derek's and she smiled warmly. "Hey, handsome, meet Kevin Lynch, proof that tech geeks can be heroes too."

Kevin blushed. "I didn't do anything."

Penelope said "It was genius to send me the feed of what was happening here. You helped to save the day. Thank you."

Morgan shook his hand. "Thank you for helping to make this be over. You okay?"

"A little shook up but I'll be fine. Thank you. I should get back to my unit now. I have to write up a report about what happened here tonight and I'd like to do it while it is fresh in my mind. It was good to meet you both."

After Kevin walked off Morgan placed a hand on Penelope's arm. "Lets get you home, my sweet lady."

"You know that Lynch wasn't the only hero today. What would have happened if you weren't there when he came to my place?"

"Shhhh. I was there. And happy to be there too. I hope to score a lot more invitations to your place in the not so distant future, hot mama."

She smiled. "That could be arranged but I should warn you that I'm very likely to require you lose your shirt at the door before you are allowed to enter my lair."

He chuckled. "You're crazy."

"About you, Hot Stuff."

Their eyes held for a long moment, then he placed his hand on her back, and murmured against her ear "Time to go home, baby girl. And don't you dare think about kicking me off your couch because I'm staying right there with you till a doctor tells me that you're 100 percent healthy again or else you get so sick of me you start chucking things at my head."

"That's not gonna work for me, handsome," she said, as they walked toward the elevators.

He raised an eyebrow.

She said, in a sexy purr, "Do you really think I'd leave such a gorgeous man sleeping on my couch for long when the bed is so nearby and made for two?"

Derek grinned. "You need to focus on getting better and not getting some."

"I can multi task."

Once they were in the elevator he pulled her against his side, with his hand around her waist, and when he put her in his truck, in the parking lot, he gave her a soft and tender kiss before he went around to his side of the vehicle.

They had a long way to go but Derek wasn't scared to be on this road with her. He was just scared to remember the moment when he heard Hotch's voice in his ear saying "Something has happened to Garcia...." and how close Derek came to losing this chance forever.

He reached over, from the driver's seat, and took her hand, intertwining their fingers, raised it slightly, because she couldn't lift it that high and then bent over and brushed his lips to the back of her hand. "I love you, sweetheart, and I thank God for my girl."

She was silent and he could feel the tension in her. His eyes rose. The look on her face was filled with bittersweet sadness. "I love you too."

"What's wrong?" Fear shot through him.

"Nothing. I'm just tired. Start this chariot and take your princess back to her castle."

"Garcia, talk to me. What's the matter? Is it all hitting you? What happened tonight?"

She bit her bottom lip. "I just feel so many emotions and I know I will for a long time to come. I don't want to be consumed by this. I want to be past this....because its not fair to let him have even one more minute of my life....but when this all wears off...."

"What, babe?"

"I just don't want you to regret anything you've said or done because it was done in guilt."

He gave her a confused look.

She went on "Don't get me wrong, please. You've said and done all the right things but is it for all the right reasons? I don't think you could know that tonight, not in the middle of coming down from all this stress and pain, and either could I. So I'm just worried and I just want you to know that I get it if you change your mind later. I don't expect anything."

"You should. You should expect everything from your man. To keep you safe, baby girl, and keep you happy and keep getting it through your hard head that I am where I wanna be....on your lumpy couch or in bed with my gorgeous Goddess or just on the other end of the phone from you. Hey," he said as his voice grew tender "haven't I always shown you how special you are to me since the second time I called you baby girl? The time when it really meant something."

"Yeah," she whispered, her voice breaking, "but you also said you couldn't give me more than you were and I believed you, even if I thought you sucked for wimping out on something so special. I understood. I really did. You couldn't see us as more than friends. It makes sense. I felt lucky for what we had and only occasionally wanted to rant at you for not making it more. I just can't let you make it more just because I was shot. That's not right and it won't last and when it doesn't the pain will be so much worse than this bullet is causing me.....yet I want you to come to my place and stay, even though I know that we'll cross all the lines if you do. Handsome, I want all your offering and yet I don't think I can take it."

"You're the one who told me that everything happens for a reason. I hate that this is what it took for me to tell you how I feel but now that I have I'm not backsliding into the past. And I'll be damned if I let you do that to us, hard head." He squeezed her hand and then choked out "I'm in love with you, baby girl. Just have faith in that."

Though it would be a struggle to convince her that he loved her before the moment he heard she was shot over the weeks and months to come Derek was able to do just that. And by the next fall there was a diamond ring sitting on her finger and no chance in hell she'd ever say yes to a date with any other guy.

Why would she? She had her smoking hot Hot Stuff at home and he kept her naked more than half the time they were there. She was way too happy and tired to even look at another man.

And that is what Derek Morgan called a happy ending.

THE END


	21. Miss Your Touch

**This angsty one shot doesn't have a HEA. But the sequel that follows leaves a much sweeter look at where this couple might end up.**

**The song used in this is Keith Urban's stupid boy which doesn't really fit this couple (the guy in that song is more cruel than Derek) but the end works okay for what I wanted in this fic.**

**Premise-** _A way the writers could have teased Morgan and Garcia fans in the second half of this season. It twists the events in episode thirteen (the one with the teen suicides that aired recently) that was titled Risky Business, by changing where Derek and Penelope were sitting on the jet on the way home_.

**Miss Your Touch**

**May 2010**

Derek loved that Penelope was coming along on more cases lately. Not only did that mean more time seeing his baby girl but it also meant cuddle time on the way home.

They didn't talk about it. There were no jokes made or even mention of it between the lines. It was just something that started after the Wyoming case where Emily explained the legend concerning her star puzzle. Her story, Reid's response to it and then Emily's response to him made everyone smile and laugh. It cut the tension on the quiet plane.

A little while later JJ mentioned wanting to take a nap so Hotch lowered the lights. Derek laid his own head back and closed his eyes. He listened as Penelope tried to get comfortable next to him, but it didn't seem to be working so well for her.

Wearing an indulgent grin he patted his shoulder and said "Right here, baby girl."

Soon her head rested there and she let out a happy sigh. It wasn't long before they were both asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

About once a month after that Hotch ordered Penelope to accompany the team to the location of their latest case. Whenever they were coming back on the jet Derek made sure he sat next to her. They didn't always grab the same seats on the jet but they made sure they didn't sit in single seats anymore.

As if, by silent agreement, they had decided that the jet was a place where they could be closer than they were on solid ground.

The time she was playing cards with Reid, on the couch, Derek sat behind her with Penelope between his legs. He said he was her helper and he would joke with her, whispering things in her ear that had nothing to do with the game but that he told Reid was their team strategy. The way she laughed and teased him felt so good and right.

After a bad case for him, with an unsub who was a teenage boy that had been molested and turned his rage and pain on the world, it was Derek's head that ended up on Penelope's shoulder, and their fingers intertwined. The team was all subdued during that ride and everyone was dealing with their pain and memories in their own way. Derek was glad to have Penelope there to comfort him. She was the one who reached for his hand, as he brooded away in his own mind, and then he lay his head down....needing her and knowing that when the jet landed she would go off to be with Lynch. Derek's pride wasn't stronger than his pain, for once, and he just took his chance to rest against her.

She was a port in the storm for him when he needed it desperately. His solace, then and now, and always.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was just coming up as the pilot told them to prepare for landing.

It was nearly five am on a late Spring day. Everyone was exhausted after a tense and tiring case dealing with child predators who were using online games to lure children into sexual relationships. It was a network of pedophiles. A parent found out about it and turned into their unsub- killing off every pedophile he could track down.

Derek struggled with who he was trying to protect by taking that guy off the street. Overall he felt lousy about the whole thing and needed his time on the plane with Penelope more than ever. After about an hour into the flight, from Portland, everyone was ready to try and sleep. It was after midnight and they weren't in any mood for chatting considering the day they had.

Draping his arm around Penelope's shoulder, Derek silently pulled her against his chest before he titled his seat back and closed his eyes. Her contented sigh told him she was just where she wanted to be.

He woke up a few hours later but didn't move away from her. Across from him Reid was reading a book. He gave Derek a small smile. Rossi was engrossed in his blackberry.

Back on the couch JJ was curled up with a blanket on her, sleeping peacefully. Being a mom she knew how to grab sleep when she could. So when she got home she could spend time with her little boy.

Hotch sat in a single seat, staring out the window, and Emily was asleep in a different single seat across the aisle.

Since they were about to land it was time to get seat belts on. Hotch woke Emily and then JJ. Derek turned to Penelope and tried to put her seat belt on without waking her, but her eyes fluttered open. His face was very near hers.

She blinked and gave him a sleepy smile. Her hand went down to cover his, on her lap, and she took over buckling the seat belt. He shifted back into his own seat as she moved fully into hers. Knowing her very well he wasn't surprised when she took her purse out from under the seat and started to fix her make up.

Derek just watched her for a long moment and then his eyes drifted away. It felt too intimate. Soon she would be back in her home, laying in bed next to her boyfriend, and Derek would be back in his, laying in bed next to his dog.

But on the jet it felt like they were two different people. Not who they used to be exactly. Not all they could be either. Just two people who needed to feel the touch of each other.

That jet was an in between common ground for them. Something they had needed to find for a while now. Their cuddling was a reaction to the way they couldn't touch when they were back at Quantico- wouldn't want Lynch to get the wrong idea, after all.

But Lynch, and his techie friends, were not around on the jet so Derek and Penelope could sneak in some stolen moment. Each one was precious to him. He needed this more than ever now.

It certainly wasn't all Derek wanted but it was more than he had with her in years. And he liked it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The last part of their ritual was that he would carry her bags off the plane, walking behind her always, and put his hand on her back. Today he told her, in the early morning quiet, "You did real good, baby girl. We couldn't have solved this one without you."

"Thank you, sweetness....." The way she said the words made it seem like she wanted to add more but she didn't. There was no offer to grab some breakfast at the local diner where they used to spend so many hours they had their own booth, and the senior citizen waitress was convinced they were married. There wasn't a mention of maybe seeing a movie during the three days they were going to have off. They hadn't done that in years either.

Derek missed those non-date dates they had. He missed having sweat shirts that smelled like her because she borrowed them when she was cold and hanging out at his house. He missed teasing her when she put on his thick white socks because her feet were freezing in the middle of winter. He missed making grocery lists that had Garcia stuff on it, so he could have what she liked when she stopped by to hang out. He missed her being there when his mom called and him putting it on speaker phone. He missed getting calls in the middle of the night from her. He missed so much that he never knew he was about to lose that night two years ago when Battle put a bullet in her.

Or maybe Derek lost it all before that. Lost her on some night when he should have kissed but he was too stupid to know it was his last chance. Or did he lose her in the middle of their fight where he couldn't get a word in edgewise? He isn't sure. He only knows that when he finally looked up, months later, he saw she was gone. She wasn't spending her days and nights crushing on her Hot Stuff anymore.

She moved on.

(_It took awhile for her to figure out she could run_

_but when she did_

_she was_

_long gone_

_long gone, long gone._

_-_

_Ah, she's gone_)

Standing in the parking lot, since they were told to head home and do the paperwork when they got back to work, Derek said "See you later, Garcia. You get home safe, girl."

"You too, sweetness."

At that moment all he wanted was to be taking her home with him but he felt like he blew all his chances to make that happen years ago. He hadn't wanted to give up his freedom. To risk a broken heart.

Well now he had all the freedom and space he could stand. And a broken heart to go with it.

(_Nobody's ever gonna love me like she loved me_

_And she loved me_

_She loved me_

_-_

_God please, just let her know_

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry_

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry_

_-_

_Baby, yeah, _

_I'm down on my knees_

_-_

_She's never coming back to me)_

At least when she traveled with the team Derek still had his baby girl, just the way he needed her most, for those few precious hours when they were heading home together.

**THE END**

Inspired by Where You Are. Song by Jessica Simpson. Mvid by carenashley.


	22. And In The End

**Note-** _Sequel to the last story._

**And In The End**

**Late May 2010**

_".....And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln_

Her head on his shoulder felt so right. Derek lived for these moments when they were on the jet together, cuddled close, catching some rest after another grueling case. This night he had way too much caffeine in him to sleep so he was just sitting there with his headphones on.

Penelope jerking in her sleep made Derek's eyes move to her. He took off the headphones and that's when he heard her whisper his name. It was tortured plea "Morgan!"

He gently shook her awake. "Baby, I'm here."

They were sitting in a set of seats at the front of the plane with the rest of the team in various seats behind them. Her brown eyes fluttered open. She had taken her glasses off before she drifted off to sleep. Seeing her like that made her look even more vulnerable to him. He would do anything to take the fear out of her eyes.

Penelope blinked a few times, seeming to take in where they were and that they were safe, and then she said "Just a bad dream."

"What was it about?"

"You."

He screwed up his face. His tone was hurt- for her- when he murmured "Baby." Then he paused and added firmly "Tell me about it."

She sat up and fixed her clothes, fidgeting, until he took both her hands in his, wrapping them in the warmth of his larger hands and told her "Give it up, woman."

"The ambulance...it blew up...and no matter how many times I called out your name you never answered. You were....gone."

"Look at me," he whispered "I'm right here, baby girl."

She nodded but still looked shook up.

He leaned close to her. "We all have bad dreams but they are just dreams. Just our worries. They can't hurt us. They aren't real. You know I did answer you." He gave her a small smile, full of secrets and past love that never died for him. "Remember what I told you?"

Penelope whispered "Yeah."

Leaning even closer, he spoke against her ear, "And I still mean it, my solace."

When he went to lean back her hand came up quickly, to hold the side of his face, and keep him like that, their cheeks nuzzling against each other. She whispered back to him "Don't ever die on me. Swear to God."

He moved back then and looked deep into her eyes. "Baby, its not about when we die. Its about what we do while we're alive."

Just then the pilot announced the plane would be landing in half an hour. Penelope excused herself to go to the bathroom. The moment passed.

But for Derek he could still feel lingering warmth from the tingles that shot down his spine when she was caressing his cheek and whispering in his ear. When she was saying, in her own way, Don't ever leave me.

He didn't plan to. No matter what happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a few days later, when they were still off work, that he got a text message from Penelope asking if he would come to this pedestrian bridge near a park they used to take Clooney to back when they hung out together on weekends.

He knew the place well. But he couldn't figure out why she wanted him there today.

There was a growing excitement that he tried to clamp down as he texted her back that he was on his way. When he got there he could look across the park and see her standing there.

His beautiful baby girl. Her blonde hair was shimmering in the sunlight. The pink highlights marking her as a true original among a world of plain and ordinary.

Derek nearly jogged up to her. "Hey there, Goddess."

Now that he was close enough to look into her eyes he could see that she looked subdued. Touching her arm he asked "Everything okay?"

She nodded. Then she turned and stared out at the water.

Derek did the same for a minute but his concern for her overweighed his patience and he asked "What's up? Why are we here?"

"We had a lot of fun in this park before. Remember?"

"Baby, I remember everything. Don't doubt that."

Another long moment passed and she whispered "I guess I'll just spit it out: I broke up with him."

His answered quickly, his tone surprised, "Really? When? Why?"

Watching her closely he saw her lick her lips, in nervousness, before turning to him and crooking her finger at him, the way he did to her so many times when things had been good between them. He was already next to her so he leaned down. Her lips pressed against his in a kiss fueled with six years of pent up lust, pain, hunger, loneliness', confusion, longing and need.

Overcome by it all he pulled back. His eyes searched hers. "You sure, baby?"

Then she smiled. This big, brilliant, filled with love and happiness smile. Her arms looped around his neck. "After that kiss, hells yeah I'm positive. Now kiss your baby girl again before I get cranky."

Smiling and chuckling he did just that. Later on that day they curled up on his couch together, just talking and cuddling close to each other, with Clooney laying nearby. Penelope didn't need to wear Derek's sweatshirt or his warm socks, because it was nearly summer.

But he felt great knowing that next winter she would be again.

**THE END**


	23. Too Late to Apologize

**Note- **Something for Valentine's Day. This is racy.

**Too Late To Apologize **

**February 2010**

_Oh God. Could I come from just this_? _was the thought that darted through her head._

_Where he was concerned it was entirely possible, she decided in that instant._

_She had no idea what he was up to. She knew she should stop it but it felt so delicious that she hesitated a long, traitorous moment (considering she was in a committed long term relationship with another man) before Penelope Garcia commented on the fact that Derek Morgan had walked into her bunker, wrapped his arms around the chair where she sat, and was ever slow slowly tracing his fingers from her wrist to her elbow on both arms._

_Meanwhile his mouth was working magic on her neck and ear, just by blowing on it, making her whole body tingle. Warmth flushed her skin. Her stomach danced with butterflies. Her breasts ached for attention. Her whole body felt empty- every part of her wanting to be filled by him._

"_Hot Stuff, just what are you doing?"_

"_Just trying to wish you a Happy Valentine's day," he whispered in a silky, sex drenched voice, as he lifted her hair and blew on her neck._

_Letting her head drop back in ecstasy, Penelope said "Stop this, you naughty boy, or else you'll have me wanting to leave my boyfriend for you."_

"_Then I better not stop," he answered, right before sucking on her earlobe. Two large hands covered her breasts, over her red sweater, and massaged with rough, demanding pressure that sent sensations right down to the center of her, making her eyes nearly roll back in her head. It was so intense to have him touching her. Such a fantasy come true that Penelope forgot all about where they were and could only think about what she wanted most._

_Had always wanted most._

"_Oh, Derek, oh God!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What is this? he silently asked himself, as he stood over her while she slept on the couch in her office. Derek Morgan could not stop a smirk from curving his lips.

His baby girl was having a sex dream about him. Hot damn. Now this is what he liked to see for sure. Her withering around with his name falling off her lips. He knew she would never admit to what she had been dreaming about when she woke up but he still wanted to wake her, for several reasons.

One, he came to her office to tell her Happy Valentine's Day, since they had just gotten back from a case and he hadn't remembered to mention it on the phone, and reason number two was that he had never seen her eyes when she was completely aroused. Just like a woman looked right before she orgasmed.

And he wanted to see that look in his baby girl's eyes before he died. This might be his only chance so he took it. Getting on his knees next to the couch he gently touched her arm.

"Sweetheart," he whispered, as he leaned over her, getting closer than he would if he wasn't so freaking turned on and eager to catch that sexy look before it faded from her eyes.

"Morgan," she murmured, her eyes opening slightly , as her arms wrapped around him and she pressed her lips to his.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

This dream just got better and better, as far as Penelope was concerned. Derek had spun around her chair. He pushed up her sweater so he could kiss her stomach and then her scars and then her breasts. Holding the back of his head she moaned his name, sure she was going to come before he ever got her pants off.

And then his mouth finally was on hers. That long awaited for kiss finally felt. The melding of two pairs of lips, two desires, two broken hearts and ravaged souls, finally happening and it was hotter than she ever had known before.

Then his tongue, long and probing, thrust into her mouth and her whole body arched up. OH MY GOD!

Penelope jerked fully awake and realized she was kissing Derek. She made some confused sounds and he went to pull back. Not wanting to lose the perfect feel of his mouth on hers she sucked on his bottom lip and then traced it with her tongue. It was a sensual exploration of a mouth she had fantasized knowing for every day since they met.

Her body was burning up. Wet and ready and needy for him. All for Derek. Good God how the hell had this happened?

One second she was having the best dream and then her best friend was kissing her for real. And it felt right. So right and good. Like this is what she was born to do every day of her life. Kiss Derek and be happy. Be loved. Be a totally bold sexual being with no hang ups and no fear getting in the way.

He firmly pulled out of her embrace. Looking up at him she saw his eyes were dark with heat. They mesmerized her. Penelope reached out and ran a finger over Derek's bottom lip. "Suck," she ordered.

"Baby-" he started to protest.

"Suck," she repeated in a no nonsense tone that came from being primed for sex. For him. For him to be buried deep inside of her.

Derek did as she wanted. Watching him give in to her gave Penelope this rush of endorphins, a powerful feeling that made her think she could do anything, having anything she wanted at all. Even him. She sat up quickly, put her arms around him, and started to kiss all over his face and neck. "Oh, God, you're so sexy, Derek. So damn sexy. I need you so bad. Not want. Need. I need you, baby. God.....don't think. Kiss me again."

And so he did.

She felt him shivering against her. The emotions of this moment getting the best of him. She ended the kiss and rested her forehead against his. They both were breathing hard.

Derek said "I'm sorry. You were dreaming and....I should have walked away. I'm so sorry I put you in this position."

She raised a finger and pressed it to his lips. "Shhh. The last thing I want to hear is sorry!"

The finger slid down and traced his lips. He sucked it into his mouth, moaning as he did so, and she moaned as she watched him, then pressed herself as close to him as she could get.

Penelope breathed out "Good God, you make me so hot. Do you want me?"

A second later she was wrapped in big, strong, safe arms and his face was buried against the crook of her neck. She could feel him nodding. Penelope held him tight back.

(_I'd take another chance,_

_take a fall,_

_take a shot for you._

_I need you like a heart needs a beat_

_but that's _

_nothing new._

_I loved with a fire red _

_now its turning_

_blue._

_And you say "Sorry" like the angel_

_heaven let me think _

_was you_

_but I'm afraid _

"_Its too late to apologize. Its too late! _

_Its too late to apologize! Its too late_!) (One Republic Featuring Timberland)

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Derek's heart was beating so fast. His blood was racing through his veins and his mind was whirling over this situation.

He felt like he took advantage of her. Something he would never want to do in a million years. And yet he hadn't done anything but respond to the sleepy kiss she gave him. And that was second nature. It felt so good, like coming home, and he just gave in to it.

He sunk into that perfect kiss and got lost. Their sleepy, dreamy world where they could make love seemed better than the real one filled with unsubs, her boyfriend, the memory of Jason Battle and Carl Buford. Derek didn't like the real world that much on some days but he loved the world him and his baby girl created together. They saved each other so many times just by laughing, teasing, joking, flirting and being sweet to each other.

He loved her. He knew it years ago, deep inside, and he knew it just as clearly now. He wanted a home with her. He wanted a future with her.

But reality was making him think he'd never get it.

Pulling back from her he looked in her eyes "What's going on here? Are you as confused as I am? Did I go too far? Cause I never wanna hurt you, baby, or mess up your life."

Giving him the cutest little smile she shrugged one shoulder "We are just too hot to handle when we get together. Its amazing we didn't lose control sooner. What can you do? Some things are just meant to be."

A relieved smile came to his face. He ran his finger down her nose. "You sure you're okay with all this? We're okay?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck she smiled widely "Angel Fish, we're so much better than just okay." She nibbled on the corner of his lips.

"Garcia," he groaned as he pulled back, giving her a very firm look.

"What is it, my prince?"

"Can you do something about the security footage in here?"

"Without even blinking an eyelid." She wiggled her nose, like Samantha did on Bewitched.

Morgan laughed. "You are the best!"

And then they started to kiss again.

(_I'm hanging on your rope._

_-_

_Got me ten feet _

_off the _

_ground_).

THE END


	24. Done Deal

**Note**- _Sequel to Too Late To Apologize. Once again this is very spicy stuff._

**Done Deal**

**February 2010**

God, she tasted good.

Despite there being firm rules against screwing around at work, and specific rules about screwing around with co-workers at work or anywhere for that matter, Derek Morgan was doing just that. Except he wouldn't call this screwing around really.

He was making love to Penelope Garcia, something he wanted to do for over two years in a very serious way and for over three more in a very cavalier- _have his cake and do his baby girl too-_ way. But he hadn't done that because she's way too amazing to treat that way. Too special and perfect, sweet and funny, and his backbone even if she doesn't believe it.

Sometimes they don't talk for days but she's always with him. She's the voice in his head and the beat in his heart. She's his warmth on the coldest days and she cools him down when he's steaming mad.

He has wanted this moment to come for so long that it hardly seems like it is really happening. Maybe he just stepped into the sex dream she was having up to five minutes ago. If he did then he loved the way her mind imagined them because it was erotic as hell.

She made a meal out of his mouth. Nibbling his lips. Sucking his tongue. Cresting her tongue over his and all around his mouth. She moaned and purred and drove him insane while she tried to get her fill of kissing him-this new glorious little past time they took up together tonight.

One Derek planned to pursue for the rest of his days on earth.

Penelope's kisses were like no other he ever experienced. More intense and fulfilling. More thrilling, dangerous and soothing all at once. This Valentine Day would go down in history as the day he learned what real kisses felt like.

He was so glad to be done with childish games with other women. To have this real hot blooded gorgeous curvy sensual and sexual perfect woman in his arms. Clad in this sexy red sweater and black skirt with red roses stitched on it she crawled on his lap, straddling him and grinding against him as her mouth breathlessly pulled away from his so she could feast on his neck. Her fingers went to the buttons of his shirt.

Covering her hands he ground out "Baby girl...."

"Oh God, don't you dare stop this. I'm getting so close already." She pressed against the bulge in his pants and licked at his ear.

His body was throbbing with so much desire and pleasure all at once that he thought he might come already too just because he wanted her so bad for so long. "Let me take you to my house and make love to my girl properly." He kissed along her jaw and over to her mouth, capturing her lips in an open mouthed kiss that had them both moaning.

Derek was glad it was four am and nobody except his own team was in the unit. Penelope worked a floor up and no other analysts were in their offices at this time of the night. Derek had noticed that all their doors were shut and no lights were on as he walked down the hall earlier. It was all quiet there at Quantico.

Save the Morgan and Garcia moaning and panting that was going on.

Still just because they probably wouldn't get caught that didn't make this the spot he wanted to share their first time. When he was able to thrust inside of her he wanted them both comfortable and somewhere they could stay for hours and hours. Maybe days.

Penelope nibbled his ear, driving Morgan wild with lust, and whispered "Sweetness, please," in this desperate way.

He flipped her onto her back and pushed her skirt over her hips. Ripping his eyes from her flushed face and her burning with lust brown eyes, he glanced at her panties.

How long had he wanted to see what Penelope Garcia's wore under her dresses and skirts? Since she was known as Gomez.

Today she had on pink ones with a tiny red bow. His mouth went dry at the sight of them.

Her wiggling around and bringing her hands down to pull them off got him moving again. He took her hands and commanded "This is my job, woman." As he slipped them off he kissed down her legs and whispered "My pleasure."

He gave her one kiss between her legs and then his mouth went to hers. His fingers took the place of his lips and brought her over the edge until she was crying his name into his ear. "Derek! Yes! YES! YES!"

He couldn't help but smile as he kissed her forehead. "Music to my ears, baby girl."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took over an hour for them to end up in his bedroom. Penelope had to get on her computer, hack the security tape and loop it with footage of her just sleeping on the couch alone, then erase the evidence. All the while Morgan was there kissing her neck and caressing her body, distracting her till she had teasingly warned him to stop unless he wanted to be the talk of the building tomorrow.

To make the time seem legit she had to set it to pick up at a certain time when she would then "wake up" and leave her office. So she told Derek to go and carried out that part of the deception. She met him down in the parking lot and got in his truck.

They barely resisted the urge to kiss there and go at it in the parking lot. The thought of having to erase more video was enough to stop them though. Not talking much they made it to his place in record time and then straight up the stairs and into his room.

Her hands flew to his shirt and she started to take it off, kissing his shoulders and collarbone as she did, and then she got him out of his undershirt too, so she could explore that chest that haunted all her fantasies.

After her heels and dress joined the heap of growing clothes on the floor Derek picked up Penelope, as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed her deeply, before laying her on the bed. Looking down at her he admired her body, with animalistic lust in his eyes, while stripping off his pants and boxers.

Looking in her eyes he said "I would have waited forever for you, you know that right?"

Before she could answer his mouth was on hers and they were starting to make love again. He had so much he wanted to taste and touch and feel and know about her. There didn't seem to be enough time left till morning for this.

They just might have to both take a sick day tomorrow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were curled up together, with blankets all twisted around them, in his bed. Their eyes held on each other and their hands lazily caressed each other: him rubbing her thigh and her rubbing his abs.

Smiling she said "We can't both call off on the same day."

"Can too."

"Talk about obvious."

Morgan faked a cough. "I feel like I'm coming down with something." Then he kissed her neck like a love starved fool till she giggled wildly.

"We're going to work, mister!"

"Baby girl, you are talking crazy!"

They both couldn't stop smiling.

The moment grew tender and they shared a sweet kiss. Though neither had spoken of being in love with each other during their hours of lovemaking he felt her love radiating off of her.

He didn't want to believe she might not leave Lynch for him. So he choose to tell himself this was already a done deal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Derek made it to work on time, begrudgingly, and Penelope came in a few hours later. She needed to go home, soak in a bath, and then get dressed.

By noon they had another case. There was no time to even sneak in a good bye kiss because they were both in the briefing together and Hotch ordered the team straight to the airfield. Wheel's up in forty.

The case had been on Hotch's radar all morning but now another person was missing- to add to the sixteen suspected missing women over twelve states that one local cop shop just linked together to one possible unsub.

Derek gave Penelope a long look. "I'll call you."

She smiled. "And I will talk dirty to you, Hot Stuff."

He grinned and left.

When he came back to the BAU three days later Penelope greeted him by saying "I'm all yours. Now don't you dare tell me you've gone and got cold feet." Her eyes searched his.

The case had been brutal. Long hours and hardly no sleep. Derek would have liked to call Penelope in his off time at the hotel and make sure she knew she was all he wanted in the whole world but he didn't have the time. He shared a room with Rossi and could only talk to Penelope when it was work related.

He sent her some sweet texts but he knew she was going to fret about things and he had been right. Derek gave her a big smile and opened his arms. "Come home, princess."

When she walked into his embrace she sighed happily. Like he said before, done deal.

**THE END**


	25. A Beautiful Thing

**Note- **Takes place following Season Five Episode Fourteen which was titled Parasite. The first few lines comes from the CM transcripts. This uses the premise that Morgan and Garcia started sleeping together recently.

**A Beautiful Thing**

**February 2010 **

"_Hey, baby girl, its me. You're on speaker."_

"_Oh, sug, I don't care who hears. Its always been you."_

Derek kept going back, in his mind, over and over to those words as he finished up the case in Florida. Each time he thought about Penelope cooing them out to him he got a small little grin on his lips.

No doubt about it, he loved hearing her say that.

Lately he loved everything about how they were together: the days off they spent more in bed than out, the plans to vacation together the next time they got a week off, the way her clothes and books and electronic gadgets were all migrating from her place to his little by little.

The way they were becoming a couple.

Just thinking about that, them as a couple, had another smile on his face. He sat on the jet with his headphones on and let his mind wander to the night before when they lay in his bed together watching TV. It wasn't anything overtly romantic. But it was comfortable, good and right.

They were about so much more than the hot sex they had.

Derek had never be in a relationship like this before. Hell he used to run from the R word. Relationships meant feelings and expectations. Back in the day he wanted nothing to do with any of that. Till she was all he wanted and then he would have given anything for her to say she wanted a relationship with him.

A few weeks back she finally did.

--------------

_Mid- January_

He was sitting at his desk doing paperwork when he heard her voice behind him saying "There he is, the only man who has ever made my heart skip a beat."

A small grin curved his lips as he turned around with a feeling coming over him that only happened when Penelope was near- this relaxed, nervous, comfortable, shaky state that had his skin tingling. That was one thing he could say never changed since they met. Even five years back when they were only co-workers who flirted he still got all turned on and hyperaware whenever she was nearby and the years did nothing to dull it. It blew to hell the theory he had before he met her that he would grow bored with every woman he ever met. That no one would mean enough to want year after year. That no woman could keep him interested or really get under his skin, really know him as more than a sexy man who said sexy things.

Now he knew better.

And now Penelope was single again for the first time in a couple of years. Derek found that out after their vacation at Christmas time. That's when he went home to Chicago and walked the snowy streets brooding and missing her. Thinking about how his failed try at romance with Tamara had broke down before it got started because Tamara could be a lot of things to him (a beautiful woman to physically admire, a friend, kind, caring and attentive) but what she could never be, through no fault of her own, was his baby girl.

Once Derek heard that Lynch was out of the way he vowed to give Penelope some time to heal, not bum rush her when her heart was all in shreds, but then, if she seemed open to it, he wanted to ask her to dinner. Dinners, actually. Months and months of dinners with her. Making up for lost time and all the times he thought he'd never get her back.

Now it was a few weeks past her break up and he was still biding his time.

Spinning his chair around he took in the sight of her and his smile grew. "Hey, baby girl."

"I need a favor," she said, in the cutest begging tone that she used to get her way with him.

"Tell me what I can do for you." He stood up and angled his body so he was close to her.

"There's this movie I wanna see tonight and I really want you to join me. The only thing is: its a chick flick," she paused, still giving him a begging and teasing face that she knew he'd never say no to. "I think you would enjoy this one though."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, dragging out the words as their eyes held on each other.

She nodded, still wearing her pleading expression that was all a joke to get his defenses down and not make this too serious. She knew how to keep things light for him and he knew how to calm her down when things were deathly serious and scary for her. They complimented each other well. Perfectly.

Stepping closer to him she cooed "Will you please take me to a movie and buy me popcorn, twizzlers and milk duds?"

"Yes, baby girl, anything for you."

Her whole face brightened. She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. "Get done with your paperwork then. I'll be waiting in my bunker for you to _pick_ me up for our _date,_ sug."

She turned and walked away, looking back once to tease, "And I want my own twizzlers because I'm not sharing," before continuing on her way.

He was left standing there, hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes on her retreating form, chuckling over her antics. Later he drove to the movies, walked over her side of his SUV and opened her door, then offered her his arm and they walked inside. She bought the tickets after saying "Fair is fair, I did ask you on this date after all. And, anyway, you've going to blow your paycheck at the concession stand."

He gave her a playful pretending to be frustrated look. "Woman, I don't want you paying for anything when you're on my arm."

"Too frickin' bad," she teased.

They watched the movie, touching often during it as they shared the snacks, and then they walked back to his SUV, with her arm wrapped around his. He could act like that was because it was icy in the parking lot but he knew the truth: he liked feeling as if this was a real date. He loved having his baby girl as all his tonight.

Derek asked "What do you say to getting some food?"

"Where are you going to fit it? I'm stuffed from all the junk food you let me have."

"Let you?" he laughed. "Baby, I don't let you do anything. I couldn't control you if I tried. You're too hard headed for that."

"True." She smirked at him. "But I know you usually like to be healthy, except when I'm around to corrupt you and make your life _so much more_ interesting."

His voice dropped when he told her "Tonight was fun, sweetheart. Thank you for asking me." He went to go around the SUV again. After all it was chilly outside and, as much as he did enjoy standing there with her and didn't want it to end, he did want out to get her out of the cold.

Penelope touched his arm and stopped him from moving too far away.

She said "Tonight isn't quite over yet."

He raised an eyebrow.

And then she stepped closer and, before he really registered what was happening, she was stretching slightly upwards and her lips were connecting to his as her hand rested against his cheek. It only lasted a second and then she pulled back, all wide eyed and searching his face, looking like she could freak out at any second.

His heart was racing, fast and furious, and his whole body was on high alert, savoring the brief feel of her lips that he had and the knowledge of what that meant. Of how very brave his girl was and how she would risk so much for him.

Just as Penelope went to back away, her mouth opening to, he was sure, run a mile a minute with some explanation as to why that kiss was just friendly, Derek wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again. Just softly and sweetly, but making it last long enough to leave no doubts it was not out of pity or to save her embarrassment but instead out of true desire for the amazing woman she was.

He broke that kiss and was relieved to see all the fear gone from her face. She smiled brightly at him.

Penelope purred "You sure do know how to tell a girl good night." After staring in his eyes for a moment, still with his arms around her back, she added "I'd like to do this again."

"Woman, that goes without saying." He grinned and then got her in the SUV so he could take her back to Quantico to get her car.

That was the start of many dates. Every single night that he was in Virginia they were together. They didn't always go out somewhere, sometimes they stayed at his house, and they didn't always have sex, but they never slept apart. No one said "I love you," again yet but they were enjoying each other and Derek felt lucky to have her.

Blessed.

Like those prayers he said in that empty church about finding his way home and making peace with all his past pain were finally answered. Because now he was whole for the first time since he was fifteen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_February 2010_

After knocking on her door he walked into her office. "Hey there, gorgeous, time to shut down those babies and let me buy you some dinner. Its late and whatever you don't have done can wait."

"You won't hear any complaints out of me," she said, while closing down her computers. Then she turned around. "I'm beat."

"Not up for going out?"

"I just want to go home and get in bed, to tell you the truth."

His face fell. "Oh....okay."

"I'm sorry. Did you have your heart set on somewhere? Maybe we can do take out."

"No, that's all right, babe. Go home and get some rest." He gently tugged her up and out of her seat. "I don't want you getting run down. I'll just have to try and remember what its like to sleep without a Goddess next to me. I'll survive."

Her face showed confusion for a long moment and then she said, her tone even, "Oh. When I said home, Morgan, I meant your place but if you want me to go to my place, that's cool. I haven't been there in days anyway since I was taking care of Clooney. The mail is all piled up and we both know that's just asking to be robbed."

Penelope moved out of his arms.

"Garcia?"

She busied herself with getting her purse and coat. "Yes, baby?"

"You need to pump those brakes."

She turned and met his eyes.

Derek said, his tone very tender, "I just didn't know that you feel like my place is home now."

She went to explain and he cut her off by saying "Come home, baby girl. I'll feed you dinner and I'll get some actual good sleep because I have my girl with me. Don't even think about being hard headed right now." He helped her into her coat and then lifted her hair to put her scarf on. "We're going home together."

In her adorable, sweet tone that she used when he made her very happy she said "Okay."

Right before they left her office, after he flipped off the lights and they were about to step out, Derek said "Oh and one more thing, baby.......Its always been you, too."

The smile on her face made her feel like there was nothing dirty or broken in him anymore. There was just love for her. She made life a beautiful thing.

**THE END **

**Note- this one is not inspired by a mvid. But it is inspired by You're My Better Half by Keith Urban.**


	26. The Circle's End

**Note- **This fic takes place after season four episode one, which was titled Mayhem. In that episode Derek calls Garcia his God Given Solace. The first part of this are text messages from Derek to Garcia and her responding back.

**The Circle's End**

**May 2008 **

_Still mad? _

_U know it._

_U should be asleep, baby._

_Can't. _

_Very sorry._

_I know._

_Try to sleep. Please, princess._

_Can't. Come see me. Room 3467._

_K._

He wanted to see her. Needed to see her. Hold her- something he rarely got to do anymore- and convince himself this was all really over.

Derek Morgan didn't care if he ever, in all the rest of his life, saw New York City again. Everything about this case had been a freaking headache and a damn nightmare from start to finish. He hated that Penelope had been brought along too. She had to see people murdered in real time as she watched and could do nothing. She had to worry over and over that Derek, or someone else on the team, was dead.

She had been put through hell. But she did her job like a pro and made him proud, that's for sure.

There was no doubt about it, without her help tonight, his life would be over right now. Cause he would have tried to drive the ambulance that was filled with explosives away from the hospital with or without Garcia in his ear telling him where he could take it to safely let it explode without getting anyone hurt. And he would have never found that place in three minutes time without her help.

Penelope saved him.

When he had been racing through the city streets all he could think about was her. It would have been that way if she wasn't talking to him at that moment. If his life was just about over then there was no one else that could ever be on his mind but her.

She had come to mean so much to him. More everyday. Even though he had long ago decided they would never be a couple, that he could never get that vulnerable and risk that much pain, she still was the woman who he gave the biggest part of his heart.

She called him a noir hero but sometimes Derek felt like a coward. Especially when he realized how much of his life he wasted being terrified and playing it off as being cool, a real player, too wild to settle down and fall in love. Too hot for any one woman to handle.

He worked with a bunch of profilers.

Who was he really fooling? Anyone? Those kind of thoughts were plaguing him tonight. His life had flashed before his eyes and all he could see were two things: his childhood and Penelope.

She got him through so much. Just being the voice on the other end of the phone. She really did give him comfort and strength to face the horrors he saw everyday. He had long ago forgot how to live without her being just a call away.

(_On a prayer, in a song,_

_I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on._

_Raining down, against the wind,_

_I'm reaching out till we reach the circle's edge._

_Till you come back to me again_.) (Garth Brooks)

XXXXXXXXXXX

Penelope stared at herself in the mirror in the hotel bathroom. She looked like crap. Her eyes were red rimmed and her skin splotchy.

She had waited till she got to her hotel room to break down but break down she did. Not even making it to the bed she had slid down the wall and sobbed her guts out.

Now it was hours later but she still felt sick. It would take more than a few hours to get over the fact that she could have lost Derek tonight. What happened left not a doubt in her mind....she was just as in love with him as ever.

Now it seemed kinda ridiculous how she had been telling herself she was so over him. She had moved on. Yeah, right. She got real damn far. There was no one else on earth that got to her the way Derek did.

The connection they shared was undeniable. Just because they flirted incessantly and teased don't get it wrong, nothing about how they felt was a joke or no big deal. They would die for each other. They would fight to live for each other. They would save each other with their actions, words, hugs and desperate prayers.

Looking into her own eyes in the mirror she couldn't lie to herself anymore. The way she felt about Kevin would never, if she lived to be a 100, grow into as big of love as she already shared with Derek.

For God sake's, why was she throwing her life away with the wrong man?

Something had to change. For the longest time Penelope was scared to push Derek for more....scared he'd bolt from their friendship or even laugh in her face....but tonight she stared down a much more terrifying fear: that he was gone from her life and from this world for good.

It made her feel shaky. Dizzy. Disgusted with both of them. Why hadn't they ever kissed? What the hell were they waiting for? It would always feel scary but she would always want him anyway. Didn't he want her back?

_His God given solace._

Sure Penelope could tell herself that Derek meant that in a friendly way but she wasn't a dumb ass. Never before had she heard any more romantic words in all her life.

Getting fed up with trying to fix her face Penelope threw down her compact. Her hand rose to rub her forehead. Her head was throbbing from all the crying.

It was nearly four in the morning and she doubted she would get a bit of sleep tonight. At least Derek was coming to her room. She needed to see him, touch him, know he was truly still here.

More than that though she wanted to know if nearly dying had given him any sort of wake up call.

He called her hard headed! He was even worse, if you asked her.

She had no clue, not anymore, why he never made a move on her. She had theories, all based on her insecurities, but they didn't ring true after tonight. Those moments when they both thought he might die had been desperate and he used them to tell her how very much she meant to him. That had to mean something. If she didn't have his heart he could have used that time to send a message to someone more important to him. But every second was spent on talking to her...grasping for the right words and running out of time. If he didn't make it out of that ambulance she never would have heard the three words he found to describe her: _God given solace_.

After hearing that she was still too scared to process anything and told him she was mad at him for risking his life that way. It wasn't till after she stopped crying, later on in her hotel room, that she started to truly replay those words over and over in her head.

She couldn't imagine him saying anything like that to anyone else he knew. That was only how he felt about her.

Yet he was fine with just staying friends. It was beyond frustrating and what chased her into Kevin's arms in the first place. She couldn't say she was unhappy there but she wasn't known and understood by him like Derek knew and understood her. She couldn't laugh with him like she could with Derek. She couldn't tease him and have him understand her short hand. She couldn't get as turned on over him as she did Derek. Couldn't burn for him like she did Derek. Couldn't hunger for just the slightest touch. She didn't perk up when he called. Her body didn't tingle over his voice and his smell and she never lost herself in his eyes.

Kevin was good to her. But she was still so caught up in Derek, in all the old dreams and all the feelings that wouldn't let her go. Tonight just made all that slap her in the face.

(_There's a moment  
we all come to,_

_  
in our own time _

_and in our own space,_

_  
where all that we've done  
we can undo _

_  
if our hearts are in the right place_.)

How was she supposed to act like it was a normal day tomorrow? The day after he almost died. How many more times could she wake up the next day and smile through her pain? Why did she have to sleep alone when she needed him and his arms to comfort her? Did he really not want to give that to her?

These kind of depressing thoughts were torturing her since the moment she heard Derek's voice come back on the line after the explosion. That is after she calmed down enough to think straight.

The knock on her door told her that Derek had made it from his room to hers. Letting out a steadying breath Penelope left the bathroom and walked the couple of steps to the door, looked through the peep hole and then opened it.

One glance at him and her eyes filled with tears. "Do you have any idea how close that was tonight?"

She spun away and walked into the room, upset all over again.

(_Again and again I see_

_my yesterdays in front of me._

_Unfolding_

_like a mystery,_

_you're changing all that is and used to be.)_

Derek came inside, closed the door and then walked nearer to her. He spoke to her back because she refused to look at him. "I'm sorry for putting you through that, mama, but I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you very much for talking me through it."

"This time....I really thought you were gone."

"I'm sorry."

He obviously didn't know what else to say and she didn't blame him for that. Her anger was irrational but very real to her. And his apologies were sincere. He was truly sorry and she was truly ticked off. She hated that he had been at that kind of risk. His life was not disposable and she wished he would act like he had something to live for once in a while cause she sure needed him around.

But it was just his nature to be the hero. She loved that about him even when it caused her to be scared out of her mind for him.

"I don't think I could handle losing you, Morgan."

"Hey," he said gently "I'm not going anywhere without you, okay? I wouldn't do that." After a moment, when she still didn't turn around, Derek added "Baby girl, come over here."

He moved closer and, once she turned around, he took her into his arms. Holding her as tight as he could he whispered "I got you and I'm not letting go."

"How long till I stop hearing that explosion in my head?"

"I don't know the answer for that but I do know that it has to mean something that when I knew I could die tonight you were all I could think about. And not just cause you were talking to me. Cause I got things I wanna say to you and I don't wanna die, baby, never saying them, do you understand what I'm telling you?"

She titled her head up and looked into his eyes. And then his lips came down and pressed against hers.

And Penelope did get just what he was trying to explain. After many times when they almost crossed this line it was finally the moment when they put aside their fears and let their hearts lead them home.

_(On a prayer,  
in a song,  
I hear your voice  
and it keeps me hanging on._

_  
Oh, raining down, against the wind.  
I'm reaching out,  
till we reach the circle's end.  
when you come back to me again.  
When you come back to me again_.)

**THE END**

Inspired by Run To You. Song by Whitney Houston. Mvid by hilscher40.


	27. Change of Plans, part one

Due to technical difficulties "Change of Plans" has been removed.


	28. Change of Plans, part two

Due to technical difficulties "Change of Plans" has been removed.


	29. Change of Plans, last part

Due to technical difficulties "Change of Plans" has been removed.


	30. The Lunch Break

**The Lunch Break**

**September 2005**

"Hey, Goddess, put on your best party dress. I'm taking you dancing when I get home," Derek said, wearing a huge smile, as he walked down the aisle of the jet and into the galley. He liked to have a little privacy when he talked to Penelope.

"Gorgeous, this sexy mama don't dance and you know that."

Dramatically he whined "Hot mama, you are breaking my heart and crushing all my dreams in your pretty little hands. Be nice, babe."

"If by nice you mean dance with you then sorry but I'm a itch with a capital B."

"Not my baby."

"Yep, your baby. No dancing for you with me. Another dream shattered. Boo hoo. Do you need me to wipe your tears? I have a place you can rest your head while you sob. Wanna guess where?"

"Woman, you are a temptress of the worse kind. Stop messing with me!" He laughed as he said this. "I will get you on a dance floor sooner or later. You can not hold out forever. Its been a damn year. Give it up already."

"Au contraire, its been fourteen months and you're still at square one with me. And I thought you were a player."

"Don't doubt my skills, baby girl. I got moves you ain't never seen but I just might show you one of these days if you're sweet to me."

"One of these days? I've heard that one before, hot cross buns."

"You could touch my buns if you play your cards right."

"How about a little less talk and a lot more action? Do a strip tease for me and lets get this show on the road."

"Girl, you better behave. I will spank that hot ass of yours for that kind of teasing when you know damn well you would run for the hills if I took off my shirt and showed you what I'm working with."

She purred "That is where you are oh so mistaken, Hot Stuff. You have to take off your pants for me to see what you're working with and, if you did, I'd be too busy using my magic fingers, as you call them, to run anywhere."

"Now who is the big talker, Garcia? You know you want wine and roses. You're one of those girls. On the lookout for a guy who will give you a ring and 2.5 rug rats. That ain't me, baby. Though you make me tempted. You're as fine as wine and I want a drink."

"Lover, drink up!"

He laughed. "You're so silly! I gotta go, baby doll. But I was serious about you getting dressed for a night on the town though. I'll pick you up at ten."

"Slow down, you sexy cave man. That sounded like an order and mama takes requests, not demands."

He cooed "Baby girl, will you go drinking with me tonight? All I thought about when I was gone was getting back to the sexiest tech kitten in the world. Don't deny me, baby. I'll die if I gotta go to bed tonight without getting some time alone with you."

"Okay, you can have your time alone, my Adonis."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Wear something to make me lose my breath. You know I already lost my mind over you a long time ago."

"Slow down. You didn't wait to hear the rest. This offer comes with a condition."

"What's that?"

"Next week, on our lunch hour, you take me to a no tell motel for some afternoon delight."

He laughed. "You are shameless!"

She giggled. "Uh-huh."

"Get your mind out of my pants, woman." He smiled and hung up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They went to the bar that night and had an amazing time. The chemistry was sparking hotter than ever between them. At the end of the next week, with her words tormenting and teasing him every time he remembered their conversation, Derek decided to test the waters with Penelope.

Wandering into her bunker he said "Morning, princess."

"I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff."

He grinned. "You got in early today. What's up?"

"Just had a lot of updates to run because new security patches came out."

"Look at you, pretty girl, working hard from the crack of dawn. You're gonna need a pick me up at lunch time."

She gave him a flirty smile. "What did you have in mind, bold and beautiful?"

Derek laughed at that one. "I'm more of a Young and Restless man myself." He leaned against her desk and crossed his arms over his chest, feigning casualness. "I bought a house."

"What's that?"

"Yeah, I bought my first house. Its an investment. I've been fixing it up for a while."

"You own a house now?"

"That's what I'm telling you, baby girl. Are the words coming out of my mouth too fast for that brilliant brain to decipher?"

"No. Its just you never said anything about this before. Holding out on your Goddess?"

He shrugged. "You know I do have my secrets. But I might be willing to share them some day. Stick around and find out."

"You couldn't beat me off with a stick." She focused back on her computer. "So tell me all about the new Morgan abode."

"I don't live there or anything. I'm still staying in my apartment. But last weekend I bought some furniture for it. They say a house is easier to sell when it looks lived in. You wanna come by and check it out today on our lunch hour? Its only five minutes from here."

Her brown eyes, covered by a pair of pointy green glasses, rose to meet his. "Alone with you in a house with a brand new bed? I've never had a better offer in all my life. Lead the way, brown sugar."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was nervous to show her the house and all his work on it. But he needn't have been because she raved over all he had done. Hearing her praise him and his efforts warmed his heart.

Derek wrapped his arms around Penelope from behind and nuzzled her neck. Something he would never do if the team was around but that he did it all the time when he had her alone.

And over the last fourteen months he had her alone a lot. He always was asking her to spend time with him on his days off. Doing stuff like going to the shore to watch beach volleyball, or going to carnivals, movies, plays, concerts, baseball games, shopping at the mall, whatever he could think of that would get him time with her.

Always as friends. Just friends. He wasn't about to get a serious girlfriend, now or ever. That sounded way too emotional for him. He didn't do well getting that vulnerable.

Hell, he was the guy with the "No Sleeping Over" allowed rule when he was with women.

Penelope interrupted his thoughts when she flirted "Handsome, why don't you do something a little more interesting, if you know what I mean, with your hands than just holding my waist?"

Usually he would throw a witty line back at her but this time he spoke right against her ear, letting his warm breath linger on her skin as he said "This could be our little love shack."

"You are the biggest tease ever. You get me all tingly with your fake offers and send me home to my battery operated friend. I should really spank your bare ass for that one, Morgan."

He was blown away by her. He couldn't even breath sometimes when she said something sexy, and this was one of those times. So he just nibbled her ear instead.

Penelope tensed but after a moment she melted, going all soft in his arms as he held her from behind. She whispered, her voice filled with lust, "What a kick ass way to spend a lunch hour. I love this house, baby! It brings out the tiger in you."

He knew she was nervous but also that she was loving him licking, nibbling, and sucking her earlobes. He moved his lips down her neck, breathing out "We could come here every lunch hour from now on. You wanna, baby girl?"

"For no strings sex? Hells yeah."

Good enough for him. He started to rip off his clothes. That day he was sure they were just gonna have some fun in their love shack. But Derek Morgan wasn't the type to give up a good thing once he had it. It wasn't long before that love shack became the home he was fixing up for the women he wanted to call his wife.

And all because of one lunch break that was spent making good on all their sexy banter on the phone.

THE END


	31. Mistakes Were Made

Note- This fic takes place during season three after episode eleven, which was titled Birthright.

**Mistakes Were Made **

**Morgan and Garcia **

**December 25, 2007**

Into his cell, as he drove along the expressway, Derek Morgan said "Baby girl, I'm coming back to town early and I wanna see you."

"How early?"

"I'm on the road right now. Just crossed the state line for Virginia."

"On the road? I thought you flew home?"

"I couldn't get a flight out last night so I decided to drive instead of wait."

"What was the rush?"

"Woman, don't interrogate me," he teased.

"I told you to go visit your family and enjoy yourself. If you came back over me-"

"Hush!" After a moment he asked "So are you home? Can I come over, Garcia? I got a Christmas present for you. Its chocolate."

"Ha ha," she said in a totally unamused tone." You frustrate me to no end, Morgan! I hope your Mom isn't mad at me over this."

"Would you hush that motor mouth for five seconds, woman? No one is mad at you. In fact my family is mad at me for being stupid enough to listen to you when you said I should go home for my Ma's birthday and the holidays. They just don't get how you bat those eyes at me and can talk your boy into anything."

"Baby," she said softly, her voice kinda whining in a way that said: You shouldn't have come back!

"I'll be at your place soon. And I don't wanna hear no more about this subject, you got me?"

"You-"

He made an objecting sound "Uh, uh, uh, not another syllable, hard head." Then his voice changed to a sweeter one "Be there soon." Click.

He got a text telling him that she was at JJ's house celebrating the holiday with JJ"s family who came into town. JJ wanted to host everyone for the first time instead of her parents doing it because they were older now and didn't need to be put through all that work.

Going over to JJ's house, when it was packed with her family, wasn't exactly what Derek had in mind when he rented a car and started the long drive home the night before but waiting till later to see Penelope was out of the realm of possibilities, considering how he was feeling at that moment. So he drove himself straight to JJ's house, knocked on the door (feeling as sweaty and anxious as a school boy) and when JJ opened it he apologized for interrupting. JJ gave him a look mixed with sympathy (for being a lovesick idiot) and happiness (because he was lovesick over her friend) and then told him he could find Penelope in the family room.

With quick steps he rushed in there to find her chatting up JJ's family. She stood up when she saw him walk in. Ignoring the crowd around them Derek pulled her close, pressing her head against his chest, and stroking her hair "I'm sorry, baby girl. I never should have left."

_(Come up to meet you._

_Tell you I'm sorry._

_You don't know how lovely you are._

_I had to find you._

_Tell you I need you._

_Tell you I set you apart.) (The Scientist by Coldplay)_

Looking up at him Penelope murmured "Its fine. Really. I've been fine-"

"No, mama, it ain't fine! I should have stayed with you and that's all there is to that. Every second I was it Chicago felt wrong. I needed to be here with you."

"I'm recovered, Morgan. You know that. I promise you I feel so much better now, okay?" She eased away from him and smiled at JJ's family. "He's so overprotective sometimes."

They all started to talk at once, saying hello to Derek and telling Penelope how lucky she was to have a boyfriend who would race over here to see her.

She answered "Oh, he's not my boyfriend. This gorgeous Adonis is only my friend and personal hero. But, you're right, I am pretty lucky to have him."

Derek gave her a tender look before asking JJ "Is there somewhere we could-"

JJ answered "Use my bedroom."

"Thanks."

Derek took Penelope's hand and led her there, ignoring her confused expression. When they were alone he cupped her face and just stared at her longingly for a moment before whispering, his tone choked with emotion, "I shouldn't have left you."

He moved back and looked as if he was trying to get his emotions under control.

"Handsome, what's up with you today?"

(_Tell me your secrets._

_Ask me your questions._

_Oh, lets go back to the start!_

_Running in circles,_

_coming up tails._

_Heads_

_on a science apart_)

"I lied," Derek told her.

Her eyes filled with more confusion.

Letting out a shaky breath he went on "Your Christmas present isn't chocolate....well, it could be," he grinned a little "if you say yes, silly girl."

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket he pulled out a small velvet box and flipped it open for her to see a diamond ring nestled there.

Penelope gasped.

"I love you, you know that, right?" he asked her, speaking very fast, his voice thick with emotions. "Baby girl, its feels wrong to go away from you now. When I had to leave your apartment to go to the store while I was staying with you, I swear to you, girl, I could barely think straight because I didn't wanna leave you alone. That first case I went on I couldn't rush back fast enough. When you told me to move back to my place I wanted to argue with you but I didn't wanna invade your-"

Her finger pressed against his lips. "Derek, baby, shhhhh." Her eyes held his and in her eyes he saw that she was amazed he was saying these things, offering her this ring, but also that she was unsure.

"I think that when I was shot it affected you more than anyone realizes. Everyone worries about me getting over it but no one thinks to ask how you're getting over it. I understand how you might think..."

His heart was already racing so much he could hear it in his ears. Now his chest rattled with tears that made his face hot and no amount of blinking would push back. His lips quivered when he said "Penelope....please, don't you dare tell me I don't know what I'm saying to you right now. I know, mama. I know where I need to be."

Her eyes fell to the ring. "Its so beautiful, handsome, but I can't accept it. I'm so sorry."

(_Nobody said it would be easy._

_Its such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it would be easy._

_Nobody said it would be so hard._

_Or take us back to the start_)

A shudder went through his body at her words. After a long silent moment he closed the ring box and put it in his pocket. "I shouldn't have left, baby girl."

"You need to stop saying that," she told him in her most gentle tone. "Its not true. That has nothing to do with-"

"Yeah it does!" he yelled at her, torn up inside. Breathing hard he went on "If I would have not listened to you and stayed here I could have showed you that the only place I wanna be is where ever you are, baby girl. The time I wasted I could have used to make you feel my...." His words faltered off.

Stepping closer to her again he cupped her face with one hand and whispered "Oh, baby girl," before his lips descended on hers in a sweet, soft kiss.

(_Tell me you love me._

_Come back and haunt me._

_Oh what a rush to the start._

_Running in circles._

_Chasing our tails._

_Come back as we are_)

When they broke apart she had a slightly dazed look on her face. Reaching up she wiped some tears from his face and then hugged him tight for a long minute.

After a minute she said, in a quiet and resigned voice, "Its is a beautiful ring, Derek. I'll never forget that you thought, even for a moment, you might want to spend the rest of your life with me. That will always be something I carry in my heart...thank you, baby."

"I just didn't ask you right. I haven't done a thing right, where you're concerned, in a long ass time. But if you'd give me a chance I could-"

"Please stop!"

(_Nobody said it would be easy._

_Its such a shame _

_for us to part)_

"I'm sorry, baby girl," he said, in a numb voice. Walking away from her, turning his back on her, he ran his hands over his head. "Damn it! I have screwed up everything for us."

Tears streamed down her face. "No, baby, no you haven't. Everything happens for a reason. You and I just aren't the reason."

Looking at her, with anguish etched into his features, his pain raw for her to see, "Do you really believe that?"

After this day she knew he would close down and they would never be this close again. Her heart broke for that. For what they would lose just because they tried for too much.

"This is guilt," she whispered, hoarsely. "You think you have to take care of me now but you don't. You never wanted this for us before."

"Don't you know why I want this so bad now, girl? Don't you get it, Garcia? It took thinking there was a chance I could lose you forever....that a bullet would take you away from me....for me to put my garbage and bullshit aside and admit I love you. There are so many reasons I couldn't say it before but that's all about me. Not you, baby girl! Its all on me. This place we're at now is on me and I'm sorry for my mistakes. I guess....I guess I get it if you can't get past what's happened."

_(Nobody said it would be easy._

_Nobody said it would be so hard._

_I'm going back to the start._

_Ohh, _

_Ahhh,_

_Ohhh_.)

Feeling weak she sat on the edge of the bed. Letting in and out ragged breaths she tried to process what he said.

Derek told her "I should get out of here. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry."

He was at the door when she asked "Can I see my ring one more time?"

Wiping his eyes first he then walked over, crouched before her, took it out and opened it. With his voice breaking he told her "It's a princess cut for my princess."

"Its uber fabulous, baby. Utter perfection. Flawless. Just like your body."

He chuckled, though it was filled with sadness, before he stood up. "I knew it was too soon but...its hard to explain....when you figure out the person you wanna spend the rest of your life with you want the rest of your life to start right that second. I couldn't get home fast enough. The thing is....I knew I should have never left, Garcia. I knew it when I got on that plane. I knew that when I got home it wouldn't be the same.....one thing I got right."

"I can't take that ring, Derek." She looked up and into his eyes. "But.....hang onto it, okay?"

"If you don't feel the same I don't want you trying to fall for me. I will be all right, Garcia. Don't worry about me, girl. I just let my wild crush on you get out of control, I guess."

Standing up she moved close to him and lightly gripped his shirt. "I have a wild crush on you, too, handsome." She leaned her forehead against his chest. He stroked her hair. "I would love to say yes, know that, but if I did I would spend every second wondering if you know what you're doing.....so I gotta say no.....but if you do really know what you're doing....don't give up on me."

He lifted her chin with his finger. "You won't get rid of me that easy." Then he gave her another kiss, which led to short, tender kisses and more hugging.

Penelope whispered "Even though I'm the Oracle of All Knowing I hope that this time I'm wrong and you're right. That you know how you feel and what you want....I won't blame you if this is guilt...but if its not....."

"Its not, trust me on that."

She gave him a teary smile. "Kiss your princess, Sir Derek. You have a lot of convincing and making up to do."

With the most tender grin on his lips he kissed her as if she was his greatest treasure on earth and Penelope Garcia started to let her heart forgive and heal......as she took another baby step toward becoming Mrs. Morgan.

**THE END**

Based on Hear You Me. The song is by Jimmy Eat World. Mvid by SamlovesRuby.


	32. Crazy For The Girl

**Note- **Tonight I watched the season two finale and I've felt like it was a good episode to base a Morgan and Garcia story about. Am I the only one who thought there was something left out of this episode? Let me know if you ever had that thought too.

This fic is based on _No Way Out 2: The Evilution of Frank_.

**Crazy For The Girl**

**May 2007 **

"You did what, Hotch?" Derek asked, his tone sharp as they stood in the hallway outside of the interrogation room.

"I sent Garcia to take Gideon his files. He needed them-"

"How could you do that, man?" Derek felt so betrayed that he could barely look at Hotch. "What if Frank catches up to them? He wants to go after Gideon. He's already killed more than once tonight! You put Garcia in the middle of a situation you know damn well that she can't handle! She don't have a gun, Hotch, and she don't have any way to protect herself against this bastard."

"Frank is going after Gideon's list."

"For now! What if his m.o. changes? What if he finds Gideon? Then what, man, huh? Where are they?"

"I can't tell you that."

Giving him a shocked looked Derek took out his phone and dialed.

Hotch said "You need to keep your head about you right now. Gideon's life depends on it."

"And now, thanks to you, so does Garcia's!" A moment later he was storming toward the elevator as he said into the phone "Baby girl, where are you?"

"Morgan!" Hotch called after him but Derek ignored him.

After Derek was on the elevator he looked up and saw Hotch coming out of the BAU. Hotch said "We need your help tonight."

"You should have thought of that before you put Garcia in danger. Its not a question what I gotta do and if you don't know that then you don't know me."

The elevator doors slid close.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Penelope was having one crazy night. It started with her on a hot date with the hottie from Counter Terrorism. Everything was going awesome and then her job interrupted the whole thing before they got past first base. And he had been rounding the bases rapidly.

Now she had went out into the field for the first time. It was creeping her out to be on this stealth mission. Plus it was so sad to see how destroyed Gideon was about the death of his college sweetheart, Sarah. Penelope had shivers racing up and down her spine. She prayed that the team would catch the unsub soon so she could get home and feel safe again.

That was until Morgan came rushing into the room at the museum where her and Gideon were holed up. With large, quick steps he was across the room in an instant, pulling her to her feet and hugging her close as if he was grateful she was alive. Suddenly she couldn't feel more safe and protected.

"Baby girl," he whispered against her hair.

Pulling back she asked "Did something else happen? Is Jane dead?" That was the women that their unsub believed himself to be in love with and was searching for by any and all means necessary: which meant, to him, murdering everyone who he came across to try and force the team to do his dirty work for him and bring his lover back to him.

"No, she's at the BAU." Derek moved back from her and raked his hand over his head.

"So why are you here? Are we in danger?"

Gideon was at the table, reading over his files, when he muttered "Frank won't kill me. He wants to use me. He's not done with me yet."

Derek hugged Penelope again. "You're fine. Don't worry. You're safe, baby girl. I got you."

She clung to him but it was more for him then out of fear for herself. She felt creeped out by the events of tonight but she once she was inside the museum she felt safe enough. Now before that...alone in her car....she had worried that she could be murdered at any moment.

Field work was definitely not for her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the case was over Derek met with Hotch in his office. Hotch said "What you did-"

"I'd do it all over again, given the chance, and not think twice about it."

"One of our own was in trouble and you walked away."

"No! I went where I needed to go and if you don't get that-"

"I get that you believe you had to do that but I believe you overreacted. You have to learn to better control your impulses to be Garcia's hero."

"I ain't got any interest in doing that. Whenever she needs me I'm gonna be there. This job is just a job. I would give my life for anyone on this team. But I will give up my life, this job and anything else I got for her safety. And if you ever put her in harm's way again we won't be cool. Man, she does not have the training to be out in the field! You know that! You wanted to help Gideon so much you didn't care if she was in danger!"

"She wasn't in danger. Frank's action prove me right."

"And what if you didn't profile him right? What then?"

"But I did, Morgan, and because of that I had no problem asking Garcia to help out this team in the way we needed most. I won't second guess myself for you. I have to be able to run this team on my instincts and not yours."

"And I have to know she's safe or I can't work."

"I do understand that. I'm sorry if you feel I compromised her safety but that was never my intention. I do appreciate Garcia and what she adds to our team."

A long pause. "I didn't overreact. You saw Sarah. If he caught up to Gideon and managed to overpower him then what happened to Sarah would have happened to Garcia."

"Its over. Lets leave it in the past. Just keep in mind that I will not stand for you disobeying my direct orders. I can't have that from anyone on this team."

"Hotch, I don't want to disrespect you but I acted on instinct. All I could see in my head was Sarah laying there cut to pieces. I couldn't let that be Garcia."

Another pause. "You do know these kind of situations are why there are frat rules, right?"

"This isn't about that."

Hotch simply nodded at Derek. Derek walked out with his boss' words on his mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, baby girl, heard you had a hot date the other night?"

"JJ has such a big mouth."

"Was he a 10?"

"Maybe not a ten but a definite 9.5."

"Poor guy."

She laughed. "Just cause you're a ten you don't gotta be cocky about it."

"I'm not cocky, princess. I'm confident."

Penelope gave Derek a soft smile and he smiled back. Yeah, he would do it all over again. Not change a thing. He'd do anything to keep her safe.

_(She carries on without a doubt._

_I wonder if she's figured out_

_I'm crazy for this girl._

_Yeah, I'm crazy for this girl.) _(Evan and Joran)

**THE END**

**Based on I'd Come For You. Song by Nickelback. Mvid by Drodgers89.**


	33. On The Job, part one

**Note-** _This fic is based around season five episode twenty one which was titled Exit Wounds. _

_I'd first like to say that the episode was nearly perfect, for me, in every way and I do not like to mess with perfection. There were just a few** small** ways that the Morgan and Garcia connection could have been amped up even more though._

_This fic will basically change a few things and expand on a few other things while hopefully keeping the same essence of that episode intact throughout. The idea is to make the dream episode just a little dreamier. Also to show scenes that Criminal Minds didn't have the time or inclination to include but that I hope are enjoyable to read and add to the overall enjoyment that episode gave us Morgan and Garcia fans._

_Overall I did adore what I saw on screen. For anyone that did not see the episode it is posted at you tube. But you don't need to have watched the episode to understand this story. For those who did watch Exit Wounds this fic starts after the first scene where the BAU ladies are shopping together._

****

On The Job

Chapter One

May 2010

Strolling into the round table room he asked "Hey, man, you believe this? Can we ever get a night off anymore?"

Dr. Spencer Reid gave his friend a blank look. "What? Did you have plans? I wasn't doing anything myself. Besides I'd much rather put my time to good use on a case anyway."

"Why doesn't that surprise me, kid?"

Ever since breaking up with his last girlfriend Reid seemed to relish work more than ever. He liked to get lost in the cases and not have to spend too much time home alone.

Derek Morgan was feeling the exact opposite lately. He wanted- no, damn it, he needed- some uninterrupted time off.

He was starting to get the very_ bad_ feeling that he may never have sex again. It seemed that God was getting a good laugh out of dangling the chance for smoking hot sex in front of Derek's eyes and then, at the last moment, yanking it away again.

This had been happening over and over for about three months now. Two months immediately proceeding that Derek didn't even try to hook up with anyone. He had been in a weird- but good weird- place then. Just out of a relationship with a woman who he had to admit to himself never had a chance in hell of turning into his wife and enjoying getting close with his best friend again.

It was not that, during those two month, sex had never been on his mind. To the contrary, it was almost _always _on his mind.

But during that time period it was sex with his best friend that had filled up Derek's daydreams. And having those kinds of fantasies was just not cool to do to a buddy. Even if she only got hotter looking, sexier sounding, more brilliant, more bold and more amazing as the days went on. He was a guy though and so he imagined the women he knew naked, on their knees, pleasuring him. And he imagined models, actresses, porn stars, and rock stars sometimes too. Most of all though he imagined Penelope Garcia.

Well, imagining would have to be enough for him now because God wasn't gonna let him have sex again. It was becoming increasing clear to Derek that was his fate.

It all started in March. They had three days off and Penelope went to visit her boyfriend's family. Derek had more time on his hands than usual and no chance to see her so he decided to go to a party that one of his friends in the ATF was throwing. He figured he could hook up with someone and break his dry spell.

Just when he had her pressed against the door of the guest bedroom, the condom in his hand, his damn phone had chirped, signaling a text message. They had caught a case.

Three weeks later almost the same exact thing happened. This time he had called up an old flame that he knew was good for no questions, no expectations sex. They were already halfway to heaven, panting and moaning, but not yet screwing, when his damn phone had chirped again.

So that had been the way he spent March. April went no better. And May was a damn joke. His weekend at the beach house with a very sexy, thin, tall, former dancer he met at a jazz club- she sang there- had to be cancelled because of work and then she told him that she was going back to her ex. Tonight Derek had been out at the bar, trying to turn his sex life around, when freaking work interrupted again.

The only way to have a love life with his job was to get married. That was all there was to it. Dating never worked out. No person could handle their schedule. Most spouses couldn't either. Maybe he should just admit sex was not gonna be a big part of his life going forward.

Nah. He wasn't at that point yet. He was just pretty damn horny and frustrated. That's all. Things would turn around eventually. They had to. He couldn't go without sex for the rest of his life. He had already spent one long stretch- that ended seven months back- without doing much dating. Finally he was pass that dark period in his life. He was reasonably happy, feeling healthy, and ready to have some fun again.

Now if only his job would give him some time off to do that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Even if I was attracted to Mick Rawson, not saying that I am," Emily told JJ and Penelope as they walked off the elevator and into the bullpen "our work schedule makes it impossible to have a relationship. I've tried one too many times already. Its not worth the hassle."

"Once again," JJ said "I remind you that I have a very happy-"

Penelope and Emily shared a look.

"What?" JJ asked "I have a happy relationship!"

That was debatable but JJ wasn't the type to admit to her problems. She would complain often about how her and Will had many differences in their personalities that caused clashes, even if they were outwardly happy most times, but she would never say that they maybe they should break up. She seemed to believe she had to stay and had to make it work. So the problems were brushed under the rug day after day. Maybe it was for the best. They had a son and they made it work as well as they could.

But nobody, not even JJ, really believed her and Will had the perfect relationship.

"You're practically married," Emily said. "To see your man you don't have to set up dates that constantly get cancelled because of unsubs."

JJ said "Kevin and Penelope made it work."

Emily asked "That's your example? That's the best you can do? A couple who isn't even together anymore? Jayje, give it up. You just made my case for me."

Penelope said to Emily "We didn't break up over our schedules. Believe me, even with our crazy jobs you can make it work if you want to bad enough. With the hot ass and accent on that British heartthrob I think, if I was you, I'd sure try to tame that tiger."

She made a roaring sound like a lioness going after prey.

The girls laughed as they walked into the round table room. They were carrying their drinks from the coffee shop. As soon as Derek saw Penelope a wide grin curved over his lips. Reaching for her coffee he said "Give, mama."

She handed it over and he took a sip then said "Mmm," before placing a hand on her arm. Leaning close to her ear he said "Caramel. Is this what keeps you so sweet, sweetness?"

She whispered her answer into his ear "Yeah, handsome, and I'm sweet all over too."

That caused both Derek and Penelope to let out low, throaty chuckles.

SSA David Rossi walked in just then, dressed in a wrinkled tux with the bow tie loose around his neck looking like he just had to slip it back on after quite the raunchy night. Seeing Derek and Penelope flirting, giving each other sexually charged looks, he asked to no one in particular "Its gonna be one of those nights, huh?"


	34. On The Job, part two

**Chapter Two**

**May 2010**

"You know," Penelope Garcia said as she sat cramped into the back of float plane "I always say I want to go out into the field with my furry crime fighters but more often than not I end up regretting it. And that feeling is already starting to set in. Is anyone else having trouble breathing in this uber giant plane?"

A rueful chuckle was let out by the other team members who were just as uncomfortable in the small aircraft. JJ was the worst off. Sitting next to Penelope in the very back she was white knuckling the back of the seat in front of them.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was Penelope gave her a sympathetic look. On the other side of JJ was Reid. JJ looked like she would love to close her eyes and bury her face against his chest for the remainder of their ride but she was way too strong and proud to show that kind of weakness. Instead she sat there, looking sort of pale, and eagerly waited for the short ride to be over.

Penelope touched her arm. "Jayje, take comfort, sweetie, you fly all the time. You know how safe it is. This is just as safe as the jet."

JJ said, through clenched teeth, "The jet isn't the size of a tuna can and we don't have to balance our weight so we don't fall out of the sky into a fiery heap. Its not the same."

Reid started in on a spiel about how float planes are very safe in comparison to other modes of transportation. Though JJ rolled her eyes she did visibly relax. Twelve minutes later the boat had landed in the waters off the coast of Franklin, Alaska.

Once the plane was tethered to the dock by dockhands the door was opened. Sitting nearest to it Dave squeezed out first and down the short gangplank, then Hotch and then Derek. When it was finally Penelope's turn to exit she found Derek waiting there, hand outstretched, to help her to solid ground.

On the dock she patted his chest, gave him a tender smile, and said "Thanks, handsome."

Soon the dockhands had all their luggage out of the cargo hold of the plane. Derek grabbed her laptop bag, his suitcase, and her suitcase, leaving her with just her small, pink and tan, carry on bag. The whole team loped their way down the docks and up the ramp to meet with the town sheriff and deputies.

After they were all introduced he led them to a pair of older SUV type vehicles that he was loaning the team. The small town had no rental car agency. He told them they would have to work out of Carol's Tavern and Inn because the police station was also the post office and there was no room for them there.

Penelope quipped "Now that is what I call a small town. Okay, crime fighters, I need to get to hotel so I can get set up so pray that the GPS in that baby works-"

The sheriff said "It doesn't have GPS but there's a map in the glove box."

Penelope amended "Pray I remember how to read a map since I haven't done it since GPS was invented and that no bear decides to come out of the woods and make a meal out of my sweet self. I shall catch up with you all later. Be safe, my lovelies."

They loaded her SUV down with their luggage.

Derek pulled aside the sheriff and asked him to drive Penelope back, just to be safe. When the sheriff said "Ma'am, I'd be happy to take you to the inn. I can meet up with the rest of your team later," Penelope gave Derek a tender look.

He really was overprotective and she wanted to tell him to stop but it felt good to be cared about. Derek and Emily went with the sheriff's deputy to walk the latest crime scene while Hotch, JJ, Rossi and Reid got in the other vehicle to head into town to see the coroner and the case files at the police station.

Traveling down the country roads in Alaska Penelope couldn't help but lose her breath at the beauty that surrounded her. The last few months of her life had been a very crazy time. There were ups and downs that made her feel like she was a never ending roller coaster. But she had to admit she felt better than she had felt in years lately. She made it through the hard times and came out stronger for the struggle.

Here in Alaska the vastness of the world, nature and life was apparent just by glancing out the window. It made it easy to think about her past and her future, her place in the universe.

She let out a happy sigh. She had to admit that lately life totally rocked and she was glad for everywhere she had been because it made everywhere she was going that much more exciting, her story that much more richer, and her soul that much more full.

Penelope didn't regret the years that came before when she was making mistakes and finding herself. She felt centered now. Like things were all falling into place. She was getting to the good point of her life, she could feel that in every breath she took in.

Gone was all the fear that used to hold her hostage. She had broken free and broken through. And, here in this beautiful place, she felt more sure of herself and that she was on the right path in life than ever.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"We should get some sleep. Hit this fresh in the morning when we're re-charged," Hotch told his team as they sat in the lobby of the inn.

Their luggage was still behind the desk. The inn's only bell boy, the owner's son, had taken all the bags from the SUV and placed them there for safe keeping while the team was out working and Penelope was typing away on her laptop.

Emily said "I know my battery could use eight hours of recharging."

Hotch said "It will have to get by with six."

The team groaned. It was already one am. That meant they would wake up again at seven and be working by eight. After the long flight and day out in the field all of them were weary and ready to lay down and rest. But Penelope had to work through the night because she needed to vet all the townspeople, and the sooner the better.

Carol, the innkeeper, said "I have four rooms available for y'all."

"Four?" asked Reid, obviously not liking the sound of that math since there are seven team members.

Hotch said "We'll have to double up."

Shaking his head at that idea Derek announced, very quickly, "I am not sharing with Reid this time. Its not my turn."

Rossi said "Not it!"

Hotch agreed "Me either."

Reid looked offended and confused. "What? Why not? We always double up-"

Derek told him "I told you months ago, kid, that you started talking in your sleep and keeping me up. Not tonight. I'm wiped out."

Hotch said "All right. JJ and Emily can pair up, like usual, and Reid can have a single. That leaves Dave, myself, Garcia and Morgan to split up in the other two. Garcia, you said you're pulling an all nighter, right?"

"Yes, sir, you'll find me right here on this trusty couch under the uber creepy moose and deer heads working my magic till dawn. I can crash when you all get up."

Hotch said "That will work. Whose room would you like to use? The girls? We'll take your luggage up when we go now."

Penelope shot Derek a very sexy look, grabbed his hand, and said "Dibs."

The whole team smiled knowingly at the connection that existed between Morgan and Garcia. Of course she would take the opportunity to cuddle away in sheets previously warmed by her chocolate God of thunder. Duh. As a profiler Hotch should have known that much already.

He probably had asked just to be polite.

XXXXXXXXX

There was no way Derek was letting Penelope stay in the lobby all night long. Not in this little backwoods town with an unsub on the loose.

After the rest of the team headed upstairs he sat down next to her on the couch. "Lets get you moved into our room. Come on, girl, my six hours are ticking away. Get a move on it."

She was back to typing. "Huh, baby?" Her eyes never let the screen. "Mama is flattered that you want play snuggle bunny with me- after all it has been way too long since we have gotten the chance- but sad to say I wasn't exaggerating when I told Hotch this is gonna take me all night."

Waggling his head at her he said "I ain't leaving you down here so forget about it. Now get that cute behind up and get moving. You can work in our room. Its not up for debate."

Giving him a tender look, because of his overprotectiveness, she said "Okay."


	35. On The Job, part three

**On The Job**

Note- during this chapter is the scene where Derek comforts Penelope after the death. I didn't want to re-write it word for word so just assume it takes place in the middle of this chapter. If there is anyone who missed it and wants a transcript of the conversation just PM me.

****

Chapter Three

May 2010

Penelope sat at the table in the small, but cozy, room she was sharing with Derek. On the table was the laptop that she was using to run background checks on the townspeople. There was a small lamp turned on to give her light.

A few feet away, in the king sized bed, lay Derek. Penelope wasn't sure if all the rooms had just one bed or if some had doubles, or even couches in them too, but the one that her and Derek had got assigned just had the one bed.

It wasn't much of an issue though. Most of the team didn't know but Derek and Penelope had shared a bed a few times in the past. But not for years. It was during a strange time in their friendship. After she was shot but before Derek was aware she was dating Kevin. In that time they were closer than ever and spent a lot of their off hours together. Penelope worked hard to keep her budding relationship with Kevin a secret because she knew what would happen the day Derek found out. He would pull back.

And that is just what happened.

But now she had ended things with Kevin and, just like she had prayed but hadn't been sure would happen, Derek was back full force in her life. Instead of hanging around the edges seeming to be out of sorts always he was back to his lively, charming, flirty self and Penelope was loving it more than ever.

Things were good between them. There was nothing in her that was desperate to push for more and yet there was a part of her that felt like they were, ever so slowly, easing somewhere new. It made her giddy to think about. Lately she was happier than she had been in all her life. She felt strong enough to survive without Derek falling in love with her but also, at the same time, she felt like he was falling in love with her and that knowledge warmed every cold place inside of her.

Looking at him in the bed she had a small smile on her lips. He was laying on his stomach. The comforter was slung low over his ass so his whole back was showing. His face was completely relaxed and a little drool was coming out of his mouth.

She whispered, in a joking tone, "If you only knew how lickable you are, Hot Stuff, you would cover up better around me."

Looking back at her computer her smile fell away. She had lost her uplink.

"Cripes," Penelope said, letting out a soft groan. "Not this again."

Quietly she rose from her seat, slid on her shoes, grabbed the flashlight she had used earlier in the evening to check the satellite and her key before creeping across the floor and out of the hotel room. She didn't want to interrupt Derek's rest. He still had two more hours of sleep he could get and he needed it.

Walking down the stairs she tried not to be creeped out by the quiet of the inn. She felt like she was in a scary movie and any second some spooky one armed ax wielding boogie man was gonna jump out and try to get her.

Looking at the front desk she was dismayed to see there was no one manning it. Screwing up all her courage she said to herself "There is nothing to fear but fear itself," before heading outside and around the back of the building.

It only took a minute to get the satellite working again. "Am I good or am I uber excellent?"

Just then she heard someone cry out. Was that a cry of pain? Acting on instinct she moved toward the sound.

XXXXXXXXX

As soon as the door closed Derek Morgan came awake, though it was only slightly, as the sound and the movement of Penelope through the room jogged him from his sleep. At first, since he was laying face down, he didn't think anything of a noise waking him up.

He figured Penelope had gone into the bathroom.

Mumbling her name he rolled over "Baby girl, what time is...?" He sat up. He could see the bathroom door perfectly from the bed and it was opened. The light was off. "Penelope?"

Derek jumped out of bed. "God, you are a hard headed woman, I swear you are."

He was wearing only pajama pants. Slipping those off, revealing a pair of tight black underwear, he grabbed his jeans off a chair and tugged them back on. Then his long sleeved gray shirt went on. Not taking time to grab his jacket or put on socks he got his shoes on next. After grabbing his gun he hurried from the room.

She probably had went to check that damn satellite that kept going down.

How could she be so reckless? There was a disorganized serial killer creeping around this small town and his kill rate was accelerating. The team still had no idea why or how he was picking his victims. With the town being so small anyone and everyone was a potential next kill for this unsub.

Derek knew it was highly unlikely that in the five minutes Penelope was outside the unsub would be lurking around, see her and attack but he couldn't lay in bed and take that chance. He couldn't wait around and do nothing when she might, even if the chance was slight, need him.

He was hurrying down the stairs when he heard "Help! Please! Help me! Someone come! HURRY! HELP! I NEED HELP! PLEASE!"

His heart nearly came out of his chest as he took off in a full, fast run through the lobby and out the door of the inn. Raising his gun he looked all around but didn't see her. He crept to the left, against the building, peeked around and then rounded the corner.

Nothing.

"HELP! PLEASE! I NEED HELP!"

Turning back around at the sound of her voice he ran to the other side of the inn. His eyes scanned everything as he kept his gun raised high and ran toward the back of the building. Rounding the back of the inn he saw the open field, Penelope on her knees and a body laying in front of her. With her back to him he couldn't tell if she was hurt and so there was no relief in him yet as he ran toward her.

When he was there he looked down and saw a man who was stabbed in the guts. Penelope looked up, pain and heartbreak all over her beautiful face, "He was just here. He was here and now he's gone."

Dropping to his knees Derek pulled Penelope into his arms, "Shhhh," while looking all around to make sure the unsub was not in sight. After he saw that the coast was clear he pulled back and looked into her eyes. Fiercely, with his voice shaking, he demanded "Never do this again, do you hear me? When I tell you to stay somewhere you need to stay!"

Her lips quivered. "Help him. Can't we help him? We have to help him."

Derek knew the look on that man's face. He was gone and the wounds in his stomach said there was nothing that could be done even if they tried CPR. "We can't do anything for him, baby girl."

Breaking down into sobs Penelope grabbed Derek and cried on his shoulder.

Just then they heard footsteps coming toward them. Derek looked over his shoulder and saw flashlights, several people running nearer to them, and he knew that some of the team, at least, had also heard Penelope's screams.

On this job, no one ever slept very heavily. If it wasn't a nightmare disturbing their sleep it was the knowledge of all the things that could go wrong in the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later Penelope sat on the same bed where Derek had been sleeping. She now wore pajamas. She had rushed to get out of her blood stained clothes. JJ had checked on her, even said that Derek asked JJ to take care of Penelope, but she had sent her friend away.

She just wanted to be alone. Seeing a vicious attack take place before her eyes had rattled her. Having watched the man as he slipped from this life to the next was something she knew she would never be able to forget.

This job took such a toll on all of them. It didn't seem right. Why was she putting herself through this? The team could get another hacker, couldn't they? Not as good as her though.

So many times Derek told her that she was the whole reason the case was solved as quickly as it had been. That they could not do it without her. Even Hotch had told her that before too.

But could she keep doing this? Could she keep seeing what she was seeing? Keep risking her soul, and sometimes her life, for this job? Would she one day not even flinch at death? Penelope never wanted to be that person.

Laying down on the bed she hugged the pillow and buried her face in it. It smelled just slightly of Derek's body wash from the shower he took before bed.

That small piece of him that lingered in the room was her only comfort as she lay there when sleep would not come. She could not face going back downstairs where that body still lay just behind the inn.

So Penelope stayed in her and Derek's room, locked in tight with a chair shoved under the door handle, and prayed that daylight would come soon. The dark was making everything worse.

She needed light. Safety. Beauty. Not darkness, shadows, fear and death.


	36. On The Job, part four

**On The Job**

**Chapter Four**

**May 2010**

"Baby girl?" Derek called out as he tried to open the door to their room but it seemed to be jammed closed. He didn't want to force it and cause the door to break.

He heard noise inside of the room and then the door opened. She stood there in her pajamas with her hair in pigtails, looking very worn down. Not saying a word to him she moved back into the room.

Walking in he said "I just need to grab some socks and my jacket. We're meeting with the cops to give them our profile." Derek took out the socks. He sat on the end of the bed to put them on and then put back on his shoes. He let out a long breath as his eyes met Penelope's. "I'm sorry I snapped at you when I first got outside but, Penelope, you can't do stuff like that. You can't run into dangerous situations. Baby, you don't have a gun. You have no way to protect yourself."

"I wasn't thinking about myself. That man needed help and I was the only one there. He needed me. I won't apologize for helping a fellow human being who was in trouble, Derek."

In a grave tone he said "I can not see you hurt again. I can not lose you. I don't want you ever running straight into danger again, you feel me?"

"Yeah, I do, but I'd do it all the same again. That moment wasn't about me. It was about reaching out to someone who needed me. I will always do that. The moment I stop is when I lose what makes me me."

"When I heard you screaming for help," his eyes broke away from her. Derek looked down and let out a breath.

Penelope sat next to him and rubbed his arm. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Cupping her face he said "Do you understand, woman, that if anything happened to you I couldn't go on without you? You don't wanna run from danger for your own sake? Do it for mine then. I am so proud of you for being brave and selfless but, when it comes to stuff like tonight, next time please just be a chicken and call me. I will come right away, no matter where I am, and help you."

"That's a deal."

Waggling his head at her he said "Thank you very much." He kissed her forehead. "I need to catch up with everyone at the station. But you should be safe here, baby. There's a cop in the hallway, just in case."

"But the police force is so small and you guys need all of them to look for this bastard."

"Hard head, don't tell me how to do my job." He gave her a loving grin as he headed for the door.

She watched him leave and then lay back down, holding the pillow again and staring out the window at the sun that was just starting to rise in the Alaskan sky.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Penelope knew she couldn't hide away in the room all day. The hours had passed and she had no luck sleeping. Finally she rose, showered, dressed and went downstairs to fire up her laptop again and do what she could to help her family catch this unsub.

Then she could get the hell out of Alaska. It was undeniably beautiful and maybe she would like to come back someday to a different area for a visit but she was more than ready to bid adieu to Franklin. Just stepping outside the inn brought back the memories of that man dying in her arms, and that brought back the memory of her laying on the ground in front of her apartment bleeding.

The years had made her stronger than she was back then. It wasn't until today that she knew how truly strong she had became though. Her stubborn will did not let her down or allow her to cower and hide.

Downstairs she found Reid, Emily and JJ all working together to do her job without much luck. That made her smile a little.

There was truly only one Oracle. Could the BAU do without her? She hadn't transferred to a less stressful unit before cause she didn't want to leave her family but only now did her eyes truly open all the way and she saw that it wasn't just talk when they said her skills were needed.

She was a vital part of this team. Their tech kitten couldn't let them down, no matter how much her heart hurt over seeing a stranger die only hours before. She got back down to work with as much cheer as she could muster.

This would not break Penelope. She was way too strong now to let anything like this steal away her will to fight darkness and catch bad guys.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

By that night the mood of the team was vastly improved. They had caught their unsub and would head home in the morning. They all gathered at a local restaurant for dinner. While everyone was sitting around afterwards, drinking coffee and having pie, Derek noticed how exhausted Penelope looked.

He took a moment to sneak a long look at her. His baby girl was so tired and still very sad. He needed to take care of her tonight. To get her through this the best he could. "Guys, I'm wiped out. Me and Garcia are gonna head back to the inn. You ready, sweetheart?"

"More than ready to have a soft bed under my head and your hard body next to me. Whisk me away with your magic carpet, my handsome prince."

Rossi joked "His magic carpet? So that's their nickname for his-"

Hotch gave him a stern look. "Dave."

Rossi chuckled. "You know you were thinking the same thing."

"I most certainly was not," Hotch said, with the smallest of smiles on his lips before he looked at Penelope and Derek, who had stood up.

Derek was slipping Penelope's coat on her.

Hotch added "Get some rest, both of you, and that's an order."

Emily joked "Morgan, there goes your best chance to get with her. You've been ordered to stand down. Sucks for you."

"Prentiss," Derek said, rolling his eyes. He placed his hand on Penelope's back "Lets get you to bed, baby girl. You earned a break."

Penelope flirted with him "Did I earn a reward too?" For a moment her eyes flared with lust.

Derek chuckled and shook his head at her before leading her outside and into one of the borrowed SUVs.

XXXXXXXXX

After they were back in the room, and had stripped off their coats, Derek went in the bathroom. Penelope could hear the water start. But the bathroom door was open.

She smirked. In a teasing tone she called out "Oh, are you going to cheer me up with a free peep show? Let me call room service for some popcorn first."

Coming out of the bathroom he wore a small grin. "Silly girl, I'm drawing you a bath. You need to relax before bed, woman. Soak your troubles away."

Her face showed that she thought his gesture was very sweet. One hand covered her heart. "Derek Morgan, you are a prince among mere peasants. How did I get so lucky to have you as my best friend?"

With a grin on his lips he teased "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with your sexy motor mouth."

She chuckled. Penelope got out her pajamas, and a book to read, and then headed for the bathroom.

Derek waggled his head at her. "Enjoy, Red Delicious."

At the bathroom door she looked back at him. "You know I would enjoy it so much more if your chocolate God body were my bath toy."

Derek laughed. Penelope went into the bathroom and closed the door.


	37. On The Job, final part

**On The Job**

Note- During this chapter is the last scene from Exit Wounds where Penelope and Derek are outside the hotel. I did not want to re-write it word for word so just assume it takes place in the middle of this chapter. If anyone needs a transcript of what was said PM me.

****

Chapter Five

May 2010

Derek was laying on his back next to Penelope in bed. One of his arms was behind his head. When she rolled onto her side and said his name he rolled onto his side and looked deep into her eyes. His hand rose and caressed her cheek.

She said "I'm sorry I worried you. I know you must have freaked to hear me screaming for help and I feel bad that I put you through that."

"I couldn't help you the night that you were shot. I thought it was happening all over again last night."

"I know you'd do anything you could to protect me. Even give your life for mine."

"I would, Penelope."

"And I'd give mine in a heartbeat if it could save you."

"I'd never let you."

"You could never stop me."

"God, you're hard headed," he said tenderly.

"Uh-huh," she agreed, murmuring the words.

"Baby girl, you are the strongest person I know. Last night will not change that. Nothing can change that, just so you know. You only get stronger as the days go on and I'm gonna stick around and make sure you always keep getting stronger and your life keeps getting better."

She gave him a sweet smile. "Good because I'm gonna be doing the same thing for you."

He pulled her close and they fell asleep holding each other with tender, relaxed looks on their faces.

XXXXXXXXXX

Penelope woke up the next morning to find herself alone in the bed. She made a sound of protest as her hand searched the bed for Derek but came up empty.

Before opening her eyes she heard him laughing and then say "You're out of luck, Garcia. No morning snuggle for you today. Get that sexy rump up and dressed. We're wheels up in a couple of hours and I don't know about you but I wanna go get some breakfast first.'

She propped herself up on one arm, opened her eyes and squinted at his fuzzy image. Putting on her glasses she saw that Derek was standing there in just a white towel, his back to her, rifling around his go-bag. She cooed "What a sight to wake up to. Hold on, let me get my camera."

"Silly girl," he said, tenderly, before grabbing some clothes and heading towards the bathroom.

Penelope said "Wrong direction, Hot Stuff. Drop that towel and come to mama."

He gave her a raised eyebrow. She vamped and fluffed her hair and then lay there in a sexy pose, crooking her finger at him.

He chuckled. "You're crazy, woman. That's not about to happen."

She pouted.

Derek asked "Do you know I heard Reid talking in his sleep through the wall last night? That tells you right there that these walls are not thick enough for anything you have running through that dirty mind of yours right now. But its otherwise not a half bad idea, baby girl. You're lucky that I like privacy or else you might just get what you keep joking about." With a smile playing on his lips he went into the bathroom.

She lay back on the bed with a dreamy look on her face. "I wish!"

"I heard that," he called through the bathroom door and then started laughing. Penelope lay in bed blushing with a very gorgeous expression on her face: full of love, happiness and desire.

XXXXXXXXX

"Good morning, princess," Derek said on the next day that they were back to work.

Turning to meet his eyes she then walked very near him and purred "I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff." Her voice was even sexier than usual for their morning banter and the look in her eyes even more come hither.

His eyes went dark with heat. "How are you doing? Are you sleeping okay?"

"Did your phone ring in the middle of the night?"

"Nah."

She smiled. "Then I must be sleeping okay."

He smiled at her. "Glad to hear it, girl."

"I do keep thinking about Alaska though."

A serious expression came to his face. He touched her arm. "It will get easier in time, Penelope."

"I think I'll always remember watching him leave this life. Its something I need to do for him: remember him and honor his memory, even if the only time our lives intersected was at the end of his. But that's not what is stuck in my mind constantly about our last case."

"Oh, yeah, so what is?"

"How you told me you'd protect me for everyday of the rest of your life."

A soft smile came to his face. "I meant it, too."

"I liked that."

"Good."

"So what do you say with protecting me tonight at the movies? Maybe from an onscreen monster or something. I could really use a big, sexy stud like you to watch my back."

Happiness and surprise came into his eyes. "To an offer like that I'd have to say...."

"Don't tease, Morgan," she murmured in the sweetest way.

He leaned closer to her and waggled his head. "What took you so long, Garcia?"

Smiling she said "Need I remind you that we have gone to the movies before."

He wrapped an arm around her back and started to lead her toward the break room to get there morning coffee. "But this will be a movie _date_," he said, with tons of attitude and flirting in his tone as he gazed down at her lovingly.

She joked "Did I say that? Or are you just trying to backdoor your way into a relationship with this gorgeous Goddess? Cause I don't remembering saying this would be a date."

With a huge, confident grin on his face he said "I'm saying that, mama, and I don't wanna hear no lip from you about it. You asked me out on a date and you know it and I know it."

She joked "I know no such thing. I think you wish I had asked you out on a date."

"Woman, do not make me tickle a confession out of you right here in front of the whole bullpen."

They shared a flirty look. Joy rested in both their eyes and in the smiles they gave each other. Sleeping in the same bed together had made Penelope long to always feel his arms holding her as she slept. So she screwed up her courage, dusted off her old dreams and gave Derek one more chance to be her happy ever after prince.

And this time the prince was ready to say yes.

THE END


	38. No Getting Over You

**No Getting Over You**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Early July 2008**

He came home smelling like sex. Exhausted in more than his body, but also his mind and spirit. As he stripped down and then got in bed, too wiped out to bother with a shower to wash the scent of her and their screwing off him, he let out a weary sigh. Putting his hands behind his head he thought of the woman who accidently got a nickname four years back and slowly became everything to him.

Tonight Derek wasn't with Penelope though. He'd never been with Penelope in that way and lately he was starting to think that he never would be. Tonight was spent with another woman in a string of women who were all beautiful, all thin, all easy to bed and easy to forget. All not her. In every way the women he had slept with over the last few years were lacking.

Back before he met Penelope he didn't compare each of his sex partners to anyone. Now he compared them all to a desperately sexy blonde with curves to put all other women to shame, a laugh that he felt rattle his own chest and bring out his own hearty laugh, and smile so bright it could light up any dark room. When he met a new woman he still did smile, he still flirted and he even hoped she would be the one that made him focus completely on her and forget- for a moment at least- that his best friend was who he loved most.

But each woman failed to pass the test they didn't even know they were taking. Each one lost his interest quicker than the last one till it was all he could do to even care anymore about hooking up. There would always be women though who chased after him. So even if he stopped looking he would still have offers to get laid.

And he would take some of them. Why not? Penelope loved him as a friend only. Just like he had loved her for so long. Except somewhere between a crazy arguement on the phone and a song JJ sang in the bullpen Derek had fallen in love with Penelope. He just didn't know how to tell her.

Didn't matter now. It was too late to say a word unless he wanted to mess up her life and make her cry over the choice she had to make. Make her pick Derek or Kevin. Even if she picked Derek she would come to him feeling guilty, angry he waited to tell her, and bitter that their start was like this when it didn't have to be.

No, telling her as long as she had Kevin was not an option.

So he just lay in bed, smelling of sex, and thinking that sex really wouldn't be great for him again until Penelope was the one who's smell clung to his body. If that day ever came.

_(Another shot of whiskey._

_Can't stop staring at the door._

_Wishing you'd come sweeping in_

_the way you did before._

_-x-x-x_

_And I wonder if I ever _

_cross your mind?_

_For me it happens all the time.)_ (Need You Now by Lady Antebellum)

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Very Late May 2010**

Two years later and its Penelope who is laying in bed, smelling like her mango scented body wash, aching to feel Derek's hands on her body. She's taken a two hour bath, drinking wine and reading a romance novel the whole time, and now she is drunk, horny, sad, teary, miserable and confused.

She had broken up with Kevin nearly two weeks ago after coming home from Alaska. He asked if Derek was the reason and she lied. Because she couldn't bring herself to admit that yes, it was mainly about Derek. Though not completely. There were things about Kevin that Penelope didn't like enough to live with for the rest of her life, even though she liked him pretty well otherwise. But really the thing that broke them up was that case in Alaska. She finds it so weird to think about how it all changed on a dime.

She called Kevin from Alaska. And when they spoke they were still good, in love, and their future was intact. Then all hell broke loose. She saw a murder. Watched a man take his last breath. And suddenly her world tilted.

Derek got her through. He held her hand, stroked her face, said soothing words, held her at night (even when Kevin thought Derek was sleeping on the floor) and all around Derek showed her that he was the man she needed most. He showed her what a good partner he would be if she let him.

When she went home Kevin tried to kiss her but she couldn't respond back. A few days went by and she was sure she was over Alaska. She had Kevin over for a candle lit dinner of his favorite foods. He went to kiss her and she was stiff in his arms. Soon she was crying and saying "I can't. I'm sorry. Its...I think its over."

That day she thought of running to Derek but it didn't seem right to do that to Kevin. So she waited. And her nerve disappeared. Who was she kidding? She didn't really have the guts to tell Derek she had fallen in love with him.

So she told him that her and Kevin were through, thinking maybe, just maybe he would grin and say "Finally, baby girl. I've been waiting," but he didn't. He looked worried and concerned for her.

Tonight she was aching for him. She wanted him to run his hands all over her, say his soothing words and whisper "I've fallen in love right back, angel. You're all I want in a woman. I'll be here with you for the rest of my life."

But he wasn't there. She was all alone in her bed again, like she was so many nights before Kevin came into her life, and she was wondering if she'd ever find the words to tell Derek he was who she wanted most now.

If she didn't then would she find a way to kiss another man again without her body revolting because it wasn't Derek's soft touch against her? She didn't know.

Right now it seemed unfathomable that she's let another man touch her body. She'd been with nine guys in her life. Number ten should be Derek and there should be no eleven.

She reached for the phone.

_(It's a quarter after one_

_I'm all alone and I need you now._

_-x-x-x_

_Said I wouldn't call_

_but I lost all control_

_and I need you now._

_-x-x-x_

_And I don't know how to do without _

_I really need you now.)_

XXXXXXXXXX

He was in a bar in Chicago, hanging out with a bunch of old friends, during Memorial Day weekend when the call came. He could barely hear an obviously drunk Penelope as she said "Hot Stuff, I just want you to know one thing...and it's a very important thing...the most important thing ever...but don't feel like you gotta say it back cause you don't gotta, Hot Stuff, its just that I gotta say it, Hot Stuff...Derek...you're so hot...no, that's not right. I didn't call to say that."

He put a finger in his ear. "Baby girl, I'm gonna have to call you back. Give me a minute to go outside, okay? You're breaking up and its so loud in here?...Baby, did you hear me? I'll call you back."

"No! Wait! I have to...say this...Derek, I'm madly in love with you and I just wanted you to know that and I wish you were here right now making sweet, sweet love to me."

Derek looked at the phone like it had grown two heads. His heart started to pound. His mind raced. Did he just hear that right? Did it count if she was drunk? Would she feel that way tomorrow still?

It had been two years and he had gone through so many changing emotions since realizing he loved her. Now she was fresh off a break up and in an emotionally rough place. He knew she needed time heal and so did he. He needed time to make himself believe again he had half a shot left to win back her heart.

So he hadn't planned to even think about making a move for a few months. He was laying back and seeing how things went. But her words tonight changed all that. He felt like jumping for joy.

Putting the phone back to his ear he started to hurry out of the bar "Penelope," he said in a voice that was deep and full of emotions, catching a little as he felt his skin prickle and the slightest trace of tears come to his eyes, even though he was happy as hell. "If I was home I'd love to be with you tonight. Every night, girl! I'm so in love with you."

There was silence on the other end of the line. He looked at the phone. He had lost the call. Derek called her back quickly. Now that he was outside he could hear himself think. A huge smile was on his face as he waited for her to pick up. The call went to voicemail. So did the next four. Derek just kept calling and finally he got a sniffling Penelope on the phone.

"Yeah." Sniffle. Sniffle.

"Baby, don't cry. Why are you crying?"

"I know I said...you don't have to say it back...but I was just saying that...but I wanted you to say it back...but you can't because its not how you feel and I'm drunk and I can never face you again! I'm moving to Timbuktu. I'm leaving the grid. Don't look for your tech kitten because she will be where all humiliated and rejected women go."

She was so drunk but he found it adorable. He wished he could be there with her to hold her and promise forever face to face. "Sweetheart, the call got dropped, that's all. You listen to me, hard head, I am in love with you. In love with. I want to be with you. I want everything, Penelope! Are you hearing me? Don't make me spank you, girl!"

"You can't spank me from Chicago."

"I'm on my way home. I will leave on the first flight I can get in the morning. So rest up because your man is coming home and he wants some Hot Stuff loving. Does that work for you, baby girl?"

"Don't tease me."

"Penelope! I love you! And when you're sober I am gonna say it again, to your face, and make you believe me. You are the most hard headed woman but you're my woman and that is for every day till I die. So I pray you love me like that cause that's how I love you."

"I love you like that, handsome!"

He laughed happily. "Thank God!"

For a long time they spoke sweetly to each other and sexily as they celebrated their love long into the night.

THE END

Inspired by Some Things Are Meant to Be. Song by Natalia. Mvid by SaraVanWijck.


	39. Mama Matchmaker, 1

****

Mama Matchmaker

Morgan and Garcia

Part One

June 2010

Derek knew it was a bad idea to let his mother talk him into inviting Penelope out to dinner with them. He just didn't know how bad of an idea it was until they were actually at the Italian restaurant and his mother was absolutely glowing the whole time, fawning over Penelope, and giving them looks that said "When's the wedding?"

He wanted to crawl under the table. He never thought himself a coward but this was embarrassing. At his age he should be able to fix his love life without his Mommy coming half way across the country to do it for him.

Derek took a big drink of his water and simultaneously glanced at his watch, for about the thirtieth time that hour.

Just then his mother choose that moment to lean over the table, where she sat across from him and Penelope, and say "I was so thrilled to hear that you dumped that boyfriend of yours finally. You deserve so much better than settling for second best like that."

Derek coughed, choked on his water and grabbed a napkin to dab at his mouth. He made crazy noises before he swallowed and could speak again.

Penelope patted his back and murmured "Are you okay, baby?" which only made his mother give them both a knowing look that seemed to crow "Victory is mine! I'll have those grandbabies in no time!"

Once Derek was able to speak he choked out a strained "Ma," as a warning to please ease up already with all her not so subtle hints that Penelope was the best woman on the planet (thank you, he already knew that) and just perfect for him (he knew that too) and that she should marry him like tomorrow (that would be nice but he didn't want his Ma to ask her instead of him). His face felt so hot. He always did blush easily when it came to Penelope and even if his skin color didn't change much it was still obvious anyway. Just the look on his face screamed what he was feeling.

Derek announced "Change of subject," before Penelope had to say anything about Lynch.

Because really what was she supposed to say? The only thing his Ma knew about Lynch was that he wasn't Derek. It was pretty damn obvious that Fran had never been on Team Lynch. She rooted for the home team always and even when he told his Ma that Penelope was a friend and would always be a friend, because that's what they decided years ago, his Ma totally blew off his words. He might as well have not said them at all.

Fran Morgan insisted that actions spoke louder than words. And all Derek's actions yelled he was infatuated with Penelope from the day they met. When he called home her name came up. When he came home to visit Penelope's picture was on his phone and her ring tone rang several times a day. Fran would go to sleep, in her little apartment, to the sound of her son gabbing on the phone with Garcia and wake up to find him in the kitchen whistling a happy tune. All day long it was Garcia said this and Garcia did that when Derek told stories about his job. And lots of blushing when he remembered things he could never tell his Mom.

So, yeah, he had been a little sprung back then. But over the years his feelings changed. They deepened from that crazy, fun, innocent crush to friendship type of love and then to the most amazing, life changing love of his life. And he felt his feelings could change even more in years to come. Deepen even more.

But first he had to have a talk with Penelope. A talk that scared Derek to have because he didn't want to find out she might not feel the same.

It had only been six weeks since her and Lynch called it quits. They seemed happy one day and it was over the next. Derek half expected them to kiss and make up like they had so many times in the past when they had little spats but the weeks were rapidly flying by and Lynch was still an ex who Penelope didn't want to so much as hear his name in casual conversation.

"Ma, why don't you tell Penelope about your trip to San Francisco to see Aunt Gerty. Did you know Penelope grew up in California?"

"Is that right, dear? I hope you don't plan to move back out there ever. I would hate to have Derek live so far from me. Virginia is bad enough."

Yep, he needed to just crawl under the table now and admit defeat. He couldn't even look at Penelope by this time. Derek let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"No, ma'am, I don't plan to move back. So no worries there."

"That's wonderful to hear. Of course its beautiful out there but my baby boy really does belong back in Chicago with his family. If I can't have that though I'm glad he's here with you, someone who truly cares for him and wants to see him get all the happiness he deserves, just like his sisters and me are always telling him. I think he needs a knock upside the head to get him to see he does deserve a beautiful wife and a house full of gorgeous babies. Sometimes, Penelope, its up to us women to make our men see things when they are acting hard headed. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"Ma, she has a life. Will you leave her be, please? Really, Ma. You're bothering her and she's too polite to say it."

Penelope hissed out "Derek," and they shared a look. He sighed again and went back to eating his pasta. It would have been better if he just had stayed home tonight and let Penelope and his mother go out to dinner and decide if Penelope could ever fall for Derek or not.

Then they could text him the answer.

Penelope then said to Fran "Ma'am-"

"Dear, you don't have to call me ma'am. You're making me feel really old."

"I'm sorry, ma'am...I mean...Mrs. Morgan."

"Call me Fran. We're practically family!"

Derek gave Penelope a look that said:_ I'm so sorry for this! I'll make it up to you, baby girl_.

Fran went on "I'd love it if you join Derek and I tomorrow when we go sightseeing. That is if you don't have something better to do."

"There's nothing that could be better than spending time with Derek and you."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Fran said, shooting her son a knowing look. "And I also insist, if its not being too pushy, which I'm a Mom and I get to give orders, that you come back to the house tonight for some dessert. I made peach cobbler. Its Derek's favorite, but I'm sure you know that."

"Actually Derek told me he likes vanilla ice cream with strawberries on top. Something about that flavor combination he just can't resist," Penelope teased as she flirted with Derek. "Isn't that what you told me, handsome? I went and bought all that strawberry scented body wash just cause you said you liked it."

He gave her a smoldering look. "Hush, do not egg her on."

"Oh, sug, I don't need your Mom to give me a push."

"You're just encouraging her," Derek warned Penelope. "She'll never let it go if there is even the smallest hope. So, baby girl, you better think twice before you open those gorgeous lips again."

They shared a flirty look, lost in their own world, until Fran interrupted and said "I just can't believe that you two have never been on even one date. I know I'm the Mom here and you don't want to tell me all your secrets but its just impossible to think you've ignored this wonderful connection you share for so many years."

And there went the mood. Derek was back to wanting to bang his head against the table again.


	40. Mama Matchmaker, 2

**Mama Matchmaker**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part Two**

**June 2010**

Derek was never so happy as to hear his mother say "I think I'll make it an early night, kids," as he was this particular evening.

She was in Virginia for a visit and it seemed that the number one thing on her agenda was not catching up with her son, sightseeing or going to the ocean. No, she wanted to hook Derek and Penelope up and go back to Chicago assured they would start working on making her grandbabies.

Derek first realized this when he picked his Mom up at the airport. After a long hug and her telling him he was just as handsome as ever and still her little chipmunk, she said "I sure do hope Penelope cleared her schedule for my visit."

He had given her a raised eyebrow look. She had come to see him, right? Not Penelope, right? Wrong.

Seems his Mom was on a mission. She had come to Quantico to sit Penelope down and not so gently nudge her right into being Derek's wife. And if nudging didn't work she would push her son and his best friend right down the aisle with all her might. Fran was not about to take no for an answer. She had her mind made up- they were perfect for each other (something Derek couldn't even try to deny being true)- and since they wouldn't admit it on their own she was using her first trip to Virginia in seven years to make them fess up to the truth as she saw it. The love between them was very real and very obvious, according to Fran, and they should just run off, get hitched and start a great big family right away.

He must have said over a hundred times by now that Fran should drop this subject, especially around Penelope, but his Mom was twice as hard headed as him and she didn't easily let things she wanted go.

Much to Derek's ever growing embarrassment.

He had let his Mom talk him into inviting Penelope to dinner with them tonight at an Italian restaurant. At first Derek thought it might be okay. He stood when Penelope walked up to the table, a big grin on his lips, kissed her cheek and introduced her to his Mom. His hand just naturally went to her back and then he motioned for her to sit next to him in the booth.

There must have been something about the way Derek and Penelope interacted in that two minute greeting because by the time Derek was seated and facing his mother she had a gleam in her eyes that said: I was so right!

And from then on she was off to the races. Fran still made some attempts at polite conversation but constantly steered it back to the subject of how much Derek and Penelope had in common and how she could plainly see the love between them, how they were destined to get married and have a bunch of beautiful latte colored kids. She even went as far as to ask Penelope what religion she was because she wanted to make sure the kids were raised Christian!

Derek spent most of dinner wanting to dig a hole and crawl into it. He was a grown ass man and his Mommy was trying to finagle him into an arranged marriage! All because he hadn't taken one of a million chances he had before that night to tell Penelope all she meant to him.

Maybe if he had she would be wearing his ring on her finger when his Mom came down for this trip and none of his Mom's meddling would be going on.

Derek agreed wholeheartedly with his Mom's theory about him and Penelope. He just didn't like Fran's methods. But it was hard to get across to her why she should shut up when he couldn't say "No, I don't love her like that and I never will."

He couldn't lie to his Ma. So all he could do was beg her to stop bringing up how right Penelope was for Derek. But Fran said he had six years to do it his way. Now it was time to do it hers.

Derek couldn't argue the fact that he had wasted six years worth of opportunities but what he shared with Penelope grew everyday, so no day was really wasted at all. Over the years things between then slowly grew from a wild, hot, kinky crush to a deep friendship and then a deep love that only had more room to grow if she wanted to take it further with him like he wanted to do with her. Now that she was single again Derek did have every intention of having a big talk with her about their future.

But instead his Mommy did it for him. So embarrassing!

He could hardly stop blushing or even look at Penelope as the evening went on. Fran had cajoled Penelope into coming back to Derek's house for some dessert. The homemade peach cobbler had been delicious. But it got stuck in Derek's throat when his mother asked Penelope "So when did you first know you were in love with my son?"

He coughed so hard he had to get a drink.

Lucky for him Penelope was being a good sport about this and her awesome sense of humor saved them many times with her answers. She told Fran she had loved Derek since the first time he turned around and she saw his cute butt...then she blushed and said "I mean eyes."

His baby girl was a good sport about the whole thing but Derek didn't know how much more he could take of this. It was a relief when his mother went to bed.

Even if she left the kitchen after giving them a knowing look and a big wink and saying "I'll get out of you kid's hair cause I'm sure you have a lot to_ talk _about."

Once his mother was out of the room there was a long, uncomfortable silence as Penelope and Derek looked at each other. The moments stretched to a minute, their eyes said things their lips weren't, and then they both busted out laughing.

Penelope's face went scarlet and she waved her hand in front of it. Derek wagged his hand and his shoulders shook from the force of his laughs.

They kept laughing for a few minutes until they finally calmed down. Penelope wiped tears out of her eyes- happy ones from laughing so hard.

Derek let out a contented sigh. He had been so worried about what to say to Penelope after this debacle of a night but she, of course, made it all better in her own special way without him having to do a thing.

He was just about to thank you for being so sweet about all this when she said, with a sly smile, "I have an idea."

"What's that, honey bunches?" He walked right next to her and leaned on the counter, looking down at her.

"Lets just tell your Mom we both decided she's right. That it worked. She convinced us."

"Baby girl, I can't lie to my Mom. She might look small but she can smack pretty hard. Besides she's my Mom and I'm a good son."

"It wouldn't be a lie, exactly." She smiled tenderly. "I already think you'd be the prefect man to marry and I'm sure you must think," she fluttered her eyelashes at him dramatically "I'm the perfect woman to make your wife."

He chuckled a little at her silliness. "And you think that will be the end of it, huh? Just tell her we finally came to our senses tonight?"

"It will make her happy and she can enjoy the rest of her trip without waging anymore of her _Marry My Handsome Baby Boy _campaign. If she thinks we're convinced she can relax for the rest of the time she is here."

"You don't know my mom. If she thinks we wanna be together she'll have a preacher here tomorrow afternoon before we can change our minds."

Penelope laughed. "Tomorrow afternoon we are going to the museum."

"Woman, you know what I mean," he said, with a big grin on his lips.

Penelope smiled back at him. "Well if a preacher does show up I guess I'll just have to marry you."

Her eyes were alight with softness, grace, tenderness, beauty and Derek's heart swelled at the sight. He fingered one of her curls. "Thank you so very much for being a good sport about my Mom's intense and insane meddling. She just loves me and wants the best for me and she's not blind. She can see the hottest Hot Thing to ever come into my life is you and she can tell how much you mean to me and how very grateful I am to have you in my life."

"Why, Derek Morgan, it sounds as if you're smitten with me. Fair warning, I may faint from happiness if you should try to ravage me right now."

He chuckled. "Shhh, hush, girl! My Mom could hear you and within a minute she'd be lighting candles and turning on Marvin Gaye."

Penelope sang to Derek, sexily, "Lets get in on..ohh."

Blushing and chuckling Derek put his forehead on Penelope's shoulder's for a moment. "You're crazy, woman, but I do love you." He lifted and turned his head and suddenly the moment grew thick with sexual tension.

She sucked in a hitched breath. He caressed her cheek and she held the wrist of that hand. Derek moved in, lost in a haze of need and heart swelling emotion, and gave her a very soft kiss. It turned more intense and Derek pulled Penelope fully into his arms, letting out a deep growl, as he plunged his tongue into the warm haven of her mouth. Time stopped and he couldn't say how long went by.

They heard a very loud gasp.

Derek and Penelope jumped apart. There was Fran standing there. She said "I wanted a glass of water but don't let me interrupt. You kids just go right ahead. I see you're finally getting this train on the right track. Good! Now lets keep it going. No backsliding! No one around here is getting any younger. Isn't that, right, Derek?"

"Uh...um...yeah, Ma." He hurried and got her some water. While Penelope turned away and blushed deeply.

Fran was all smiles. "This reminds me of when Derek had his first kiss. I caught him playing doctor with this fast little thing that lived upstairs from us. She was eight. He was six. He was so cute when I walked in on them. He looked just as embarrassed as he does right now. Baby boy, don't you know you can't hide anything from you Mom? A mother always knows what her kids are up to, even when they think they are so good at hiding it." She accepted the glass of water. "Thank you. I'll just pop back upstairs now and I won't be back down again, I promise. I'm going to put on my ipod and read. I'll be in another world so you two feel free to do whatever you want. See you tomorrow, dear."

"Good night, ma'am...Fran!"

Once Fran was gone Penelope spun around. "Oh my God, I could die right now!"

Derek hurried over to her and placed his hands on her arms. "Baby-"

"Don't baby me! You kissed me with your Mom here!"

"Baby-"

She slapped his chest gently. "You keep those lips in nuetral, Mister!"

Derek clamped his mouth closed dramatically.

Penelope calmed down and giggled. Derek chuckled and then he asked "Tell me something, sweetness."

"What would you like to know, sweetness?" she said, using the same nickname in the cutest way.

"Would you let me be your last boyfriend?"

"Oh, Derek," Penelope murmured and then she kissed him and it became clear that the answer was yes. And his mother's match making had more than paid off big time for all of them.

Fran got her grandbabies two summers later. A set of twins. And Derek and Penelope got their wedding in September. It was outside under the warm sun with her looking like a princess and him her prince.

All their friends were at their beach wedding and even Clooney got in on the action as the ring bearer. At the reception they all watched as Fran Morgan decided she knew the perfect girl for Reid. She made them dance together and everyone gasped when they kissed.

It seemed Fran had a knack for these kind of things.

THE END

Inspired by A Moment Like This. Song by Kelly Clarkson. Mvid by TheRealCarenAshley.


	41. Thank God I Found You

**Note-** This was written for Fortune Cookie Fridays at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. This is prompt one. The prompt, which is supposed to be in the body of the fiction, is in bold. Inspired by the Garth Brook's song The Change. Lyrics from the song:

_One hand reaches out to save a lost soul from harm. While a thousand more go unspoken for and they say "What good have you done by saving just this one?" It's like whispering a prayer in the fury of a storm. And I hear them saying "You'll never change things. And, no matter what you do, its still the same things." But its not the world that I am changing. I do this so this world will know that it will not change me... As long as one heart still holds on then hope is never really gone._

**Thank God I Found You **

**Morgan and Garcia**

**August 2013**

Considering the foul mood SSA Derek Morgan was in during the plane ride home from Detroit the smart thing to do would been to leave him alone. But Spencer Reid knew his friend too well. He knew Derek needed to talk about this last case.

Sitting down across from his friend, after they were already in the air, Spencer said "He's better off for having known you."

Derek's eyes shot up. He glared at Spencer, not wanting to hear what his friend had to say. At that moment Derek was overcome with misplaced guilt and frustration at the situation. He knew what he wanted but he hadn't had the guts to say it when he had the chance. And now it was probably too late.

"All he knows is his father is dead and he's gonna go to sleep tonight in a strange place not knowing who is gonna take care of him from now on. So what that I was nice to the kid? He don't get that I'm the one who killed his father."

Derek had to shoot a grieving father after he came after Hotch. The man had a gun and wanted to kill Hotch, because Hotch had killed his teenage son earlier in the day. That boy was their unsub. The only surviving member of the family was a six year old named Tony Sanchez who now was an orphan with no other family members to take him in.

Reid answered "No but he knows that you cared. He knows you wanted to keep him safe. We save the ones we can and have to forgive ourselves for the ones we can't."

Derek let out a long breath. He raked his hands over his face. "I just feel like I never make a difference anymore. I got into law enforcement to feel like I was making people's lives better for me coming into theirs. I just don't feel that way tonight. Not after leaving him there alone."

"**A difference, to be a difference, must make a difference **and you do, Morgan**. **You make a difference everyday. I don't think you're upset because you don't make enough of a difference in the world. I think you're upset that you didn't ask social services if you could take that boy in."

"Maybe but I can't make that call on my own. Besides it probably wouldn't happen, even if I went for it, with my job schedule and all."

"You wouldn't be doing it alone."

After a moment Derek's eyes lightened. "I guess its worth a shot, kid. I could look into it, at least."

Reid could tell that the heavy burden on Derek's heart was lifted because now he had a little small glimmer of hope that he could truly make sure that Tony Sanchez had a father again, a father whose love would forever be strong and guide the young boy to be a man.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Derek rapped on Penelope's office door.

"Enter, mere mortal, and behold the Goddess of All Knowing."

He smiled slightly and walked inside. "Hey, mama."

She was facing her computer screens. "Come and see, my love. I've been hard at work."

Derek walked up behind his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently as he looked at the screen. He furrowed his brows when he saw that she had hacked into the Detroit School System and was looking at Tony's school records. He had been in kindergarten the year before.

Penelope said "He's smart. He's reading at a second grade level already." Looking up and into Derek's eyes she added "I heard from a little birdie that you very much wanted to scoop this mini munchkin up and bring him home with you."

"Baby girl, that's true but don't feel pressured. We should talk about this."

"Definitely but we should talk fast because I want to get on the phone with social services right away and make sure that our little guy is okay and that they know he has a home waiting for him here. That is if you're sure?"

Derek gave her a small, tender kiss. "You're amazing. You never even met this child but you're willing to open your heart to him and bring him into our lives and home. How did I get so lucky to ever have a brilliant, generous, heart of gold Goddess like you fall for a schmuck like me?"

She gave him a big smile. "Your cute ass. I can't resist such hard, sculpted chocolate."

Derek threw back his head and laughed. Penelope stood up and wrapped her arms around her husband. She added "And the sexy way your voice rumbles when you say Baby girl."

"Baby girl," he said, in a very hot tone, as he stared into her eyes "I thank God for you."

"I thank God for you, my gorgeous hunk of a husband and soon to be baby daddy."

Derek smiled at her and went in for another kiss. They needed to take every chance they could get to make out now since soon, if fate was on their side, they would have a foster son who would be around cutting into their making out time.

He had a feeling that both him and Penelope would be happier than ever once that happened.

THE END


	42. Baby, Come Back, 1

**Premise-** Morgan and Garcia. He didn't know it was love till she moved away.

**Note- **This fic starts after the end of season two. The title comes from a song by the same name. It was recorded by the band Player first and later by Hall and Oates.

This is a Derek POV only story.

**Baby, Come Back**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter One **

**August 2007**

He loved their friendship. They way they connected was something that happened almost instantaneously after the moment they met- the banter, the flirting, the joking, the fun, and later the comfort and understanding. She was a wonderful boost to his work day.

But never more than that.

Despite a ton of dirty talk and endless phone calls (even all night ones on very rare occasions, mainly when he was back in Chicago and the trip was just getting a little too long for him not to be itching for her), they had never really drifted anywhere close to crossing the line from friends to lovers.

Derek Morgan had been pretty sure that he wasn't ever going to cross that line. He valued Penelope Garcia's place in his life. No doubt about it, she was special to him and nobody else would get called baby girl by him ever again but that was where it ended.

Or so he had thought eleven and a half weeks ago.

Now he thinks he must have been crazy because every day since she's left the BAU he's just about crawling the walls and praying this is the day she comes back. And to think he played it off like it was no big thing when he heard she was getting temporarily transferred. His face never showed that he was kinda nervous to have her move several states away.

Maybe she would never come back. Right about now it felt like her assignment would never end. Every moment she worked in New York City Derek spent aching for Penelope, and wishing his baby girl would come back to him.

He needed to tell her he had been wrong. They sure as hell were not just buddies. No man could miss a buddy like he missed her.

Sitting at his desk, that hot August night, he worked later than he ever used to just so he could not go home and think about her. But even here at work his head was still filled with thoughts of the woman who had gone away.

His good buddy and flirting partner, his confidant and fantasy girl, his late night, lull him to sleep, phone call and early morning first smile of the day. In the three years they had known each other he had experienced so many different feelings. Starting with an intense rush of endorphins that hit when they first met to the great comfort of knowing she'd always have his back from now on. Looking back Derek knows he was young, foolish, reckless and cocky when he looked right past Penelope and decided that they were cool as just friends.

Not that he knew she wanted anything more with him. But damn he was hoping.

Picking up his cell he hit the first number on speed dial.

"Handsome, talk dirty to me. I'm bored in the Big Apple without your sculpted chocolate candy bar body to brighten up my day."

He chuckled. "Garcia, I thought you were the best. How is it that you ain't wrapped up this case yet?"

"Oh, honey buns, the world is full of more baddies than there are stars in the sky. When Garci catches one another pops up to take his place. It looks me with shivers racing down my spine to think there will always be another boogey man waiting in the dark to do some devilish thing to a good, unsuspecting tech kitten like myself."

"Hey, you got me to protect you. All you gotta do is come home and let me."

"Would if I could. Can't so I won't."

"How's that city treating my baby girl?"

"I barely see the city. I'm always chained to my screens. Its hard being a superhero. I wish I had a cape so I could fly back to your side but they took it away at the airport. Something about it being against FAA regulations."

He laughed. "That's too bad. I know that ruined your fun."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"Well I just called to say good night. I'm still here at the office."

"Working late again? I thought we had a deal that you'd take care of yourself so you look as handsome as ever when I come back home? You know when I dream about you I don't see a tired, cranky, overworked Hot Stuff."

He chuckled. "Well I'll try to live up to the man of your dreams, Garcia."

"Good. Did I ever mention the man of my dreams wears chaps?"

Derek laughed. "Hush with that! I already said no. Never. Forget it. Ask Reid."

"Fine I will but don't be jealous when its his photo that is my screensaver instead of yours."

"Woman."

She chuckled. "Garci needs to get back to work, sugar dumpling. Crime sleeps for no superhero."

"Don't I know it. Okay. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Good night, Morgan."

"Bye, baby girl." He sat there staring at a picture she put of herself on his desk on her last day in the BAU. He hadn't even seen it till she was already in a cab on the way to the airport.

Now everyday his eyes go back to it, over and over, and he looks at the woman he feels like an idiot for looking pass for over a thousand days. If only she would come back home so he could finally take her in his arms and hold her so long she started to feel all the love he used to swear wasn't even there.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Early September**

Derek had never in the past been happy to hear they had a case in New York City but this time he felt like doing cartwheels over it. He couldn't even hide his smile from the team when JJ said that was where they were headed this time.

Emily teased him "Looks like Morgan gets to see his girlfriend again."

Hotch raised an eyebrow and said, in a totally serious tone, "After we get the unsub," as if it was a possibility Derek would race straight from the airport to Penelope's side and forget all about the case. "Wheels up in twenty."

"Lets do this," Derek said, standing up. He was ready to catch their guy and then spend at least a few hours with Penelope.

All summer long he had wanted to go visit her but he was working through his denial about how important she is to him and he never asked her if he could come up. But now he wouldn't have to show his hand like that. He needed to see her and he really hoped she could make the time for him once he called and said he was in her neighborhood.


	43. Baby, Come Back,2

**Baby, Come Back**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Two**

**September 2007**

"Baby girl," his voice was filled with affection as he stood on a street in New York City, just minutes after walking out of a police station where their unsub was in custody "guess where I am tonight?"

"With some gorgeous fluffy thing, I'm sure. Don't make me jealous, you sexy hunk of beef, by telling me about your sexual exploits. I like to think of you as virginal and untouched by other hands."

He laughed. The sound was so filled with joy. She always was able to say things to make him forget about the ugly world surrounding him and only remember her lightness.

"Garcia, don't kid yourself."

"But, my love, its so much hotter when I fantasize I'm your first."

"Ha. You do know I lived more than twenty five years before I met you, right?"

"Studying to be a priest, weren't you?"

He let out another laugh. "You wish!"

"If you're making my wishes come true tonight I would wish for something so much sexier than just being your first time ever. I'd wish to be your best time ever. But its more than obvious that I so will be one day."

"Woman, focus. Wanna know where I am or not?"

"Not if its Jamaica because I will be so furious you didn't take me with you. I could use the break. I've been slaving away like a tech kitten speed demon to get this case in the win pile but its always close but no cigar for Garci."

His voice grew serious and comforting as he said "Sorry to hear that, Penelope. I know that must be frustrating but you were assigned this case because you are the best of the best. If anyone can get this unsub its you."

"Thank you. That's so sweet of you to say and totally true. I rock hardcore and these baddies are gonna rue the day they dared to venture into my cyber space."

"So are you still at work then?"

"They finally unchained me from my desk for the night. Now I'm two glasses of wine into a California red and halfway through the last chapter of Dune."

"Dune?"

"Only one of the best science fiction novels ever written. Handsome, you have so much to learn still."

He chuckled. "I'd rather spend my time with you doing things other than talking about science fiction."

"Ohhhh, you name the time and place and Garci will be there in leather and lace."

Derek just about moaned at hearing that. "Tonight work for you?"

"Don't tease. I'm tipsy and you know what that means."

He chuckled. "Seriously, I'm in the city. We caught a case and its done. Could I come by?"

Long pause. "Derek?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"You're really in the city right now?"

"Yeah, baby."

"And you're gonna come see me right now?"

"If you say I can, baby."

"Yes, you may, you gorgeous walking and talking temptation."

"Cool. I'm gonna grab a cab then. Stay on the line with me. I'm on my way."

"Thank God for blue tooth! I can primp without having to hold a phone up with my shoulder."

He chuckled. "So you want to look pretty for me. That right?"

"Its part of my master plan to get you to ravish me."

"Silly girl. How long have you had this plan?"

"Hmmm, its 2007. I'd say just four years now. So not that long."

"Four? You've only known me three."

"I plan ahead."

Derek roared with laughter, jumped in a cab, got Penelope's address from her and told the cab driver it. He was on his way to the one place in the world he really wanted to be: right by her side. Just like he had wanted for every day since she left Virginia.

Derek felt stupid now for ever trying to stick Penelope in the friend category or letting her stick him there. He was so ready to fix that mistake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He took the stairs at her walk up two at a time, even as he looked all around and decided this place was not safe enough for his baby girl to live. Still he pushed those worries to the back of his mind because he was too excited about seeing her.

A quick rap on her door and soon she had pulled it open. Derek's eyes drank in Penelope. Her blonde hair was down and flowing in curls over her shoulders, pinned up on one side with a big, funky clip. She wore jeans and a silky print blouse that was very loose and cut low in the front. It also showed off her shoulders.

"Hi, Derek. Welcome to Chez Garcia, NYC style."

Her voice knocked him out of his temporary daze. "Hey, baby girl, you are a sight for sore eyes."

"Oh, you are too, sug. Come on in." She moved back and he entered her home. His eyes moved around the room and took it her minimal efforts to decorate. He saw some art on the wall- framed prints of comic book covers- and on the bookshelves were her collection of troll dolls.

On the floor was a purple shaggy throw rug.

Derek slipped out of his leather jacket.

Penelope asked "So is the team staying an extra night?"

"Nah, they're already heading for the jet. I told Hotch I'd catch the first train out in the morning."

"Aw, that's sweet of you to go through the trouble just to come say hi to me. You didn't need to bother though. I know you must be tired after spending all day chasing baddies."

"Hush, woman, I would never be too tired for you."

"Oh, now that sentence is music to my ears. If only you were not the biggest tease ever born then I just may do a happy dance at hearing about your endless stamina."

Derek chuckled. He walked around her apartment, looking at photographs she had in frames, and asked "So how are you liking living up here? Is this building safe? Does that vagrant always sleep on the stoop?"

"Ed?"

Derek swiveled and raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you made friends with him."

"Ed is a sweetheart. He went to the war and his wife divorced him. I don't think he's been right since then but he has a good heart. I bring him take out sometimes."

"Baby-"

"He's not an unsub, promise."

"Baby girl, you gotta be careful who you let close to you when you're up here all alone."

"I'm not all alone. The techies in my unit have embraced me as one of their own. So you can stop worrying about me. I'm really as safe here as I was back home."

Derek gave her an unconvinced look. "Please be vigilant with your safety. Baby, its no joke. You know that."

"I will. Now stop going on about big, bad New York where there is an unsub around every corner ready to get me. You're starting to creep me out and make me not wanna leave this apartment ever again. And I think my bosses would object to that so enough."

"Okay but danger is real and I just want you to remember that."

"I'll be home before you know it and back to my normal routine so don't worry about it."

He really hoped she was right. He missed her more than he ever thought he could. Picking up one of her photographs he asked "Who's this?"

The photo showed her and blonde guy in his mid-twenties, who had his arm around Penelope.

"V. He works with me."

"V?"

"He is a tech God of mammoth proportions. Almost in my league."

"V? What kind of name is V?"

"His name is Victor but he goes by V."

"Hmpf."

"And he's gay."

"For real?" Derek lit up.

Penelope giggled. "No, but its so funny how excited that made you."

"Baby, don't mess with me. So is this Victor who goes by V your man?" He searched her eyes as he held his breath.

"We had a few dates but decided we're better off as friends."

Derek smiled.

Penelope added "Just like me and you. He's my New York Derek."

His smile slid away.

She giggled. "Joking! No one could ever compare to you. God, you are tense. You need a shoulder rub, Hot Stuff. Let mama use her magic fingers on you."

"I'm good, girl."

"Shh! Sit down and hush those sexy lips."

Derek sat on the couch and Penelope kneeled behind him, rubbing his shoulders and his back. "Mmm," she said "does it not feel like heaven to get my hands on you again finally?"

"Have I ever had your hands on me like this before? Did I bump my head and forget this blissful feeling, babe?"

"Bliss, huh? I could show you bliss, Hot Stuff."

"I wish you would."

"You are so bad. Such a tease." She rubbed his shoulders in silence for a minute. "I'm glad you came over tonight. I know you have to be tired and just want to crash. It means a lot that you stopped by."

"Stopped by? Woman, you've got me till morning."

"Oh, that does get my blood pumping to hear."

Derek turned and looked at Penelope. "Scale of one to ten, how much would you say that I missed you?"

"One hundred?"

"One million plus, plus, plus." He gave her a tender grin. "Its not the same back home without you, Garcia."

"The new tech boy giving you fits? Do you love me only for my magic fingers?"

"Woman, you should know better by now." He turned around completely, took her face in his hands, and brushed a series of soft kisses from her temple to her jaw before whispering "I need you home with me, girl."

"Aw, Derek, that is so sweet and I am closing in on these baddies I've been chasing. It won't be long now."

"Better not be. Or I might just take a leave of absence and come live on your couch."

"Then I'd live on my couch too cause I wouldn't want you to be lonely. Especially if you sleep naked as a jay bird."

He chuckled. "Always trying to get in my pants, ain't you, Garcia?"

She nodded happily. "And I feel like I've got your proverbial belt off and button undone. Now I just need to slide the zipper down and go for sweetest treat God ever created all for a tech kitten."

"All for you, huh?"

"If there is a God."

Derek chuckled. He took both her hands. "Hey, silly girl, will you be serious for a second?"

"I seriously would love to get you out of those jeans."

"Hush! Behave! I'm trying to tell you something." He gave her a stern look. "I swore to myself the next time I saw you I would say this."


	44. Baby, Come Back, 3

**Baby, Come Back**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Three**

**September 2007**

Derek was holding both of Penelope's hands as they sat on her couch in her New York City apartment. "I'm trying to tell you something. I swore to myself the next time I saw you I would say this."

Her breath hitched. "Well, now I am intrigued."

"I'm sorry. I owe you an apology."

"What's her name?" Penelope joked "I"ll skin her bald for getting with my man."

He chuckled. "Penelope, listen to me, please."

"Sorry. Go ahead. What could you possibly owe me an apology over?"

"When you left...I acted like it wasn't a big deal...I guess I wanted to believe that...but I was fooling myself, baby, cause I want you back home real bad. I want this case done and you back at the BAU where you belong. And I don't want the bosses to ever loan you out again. If I'm not working I want us in the same state everyday that we can be."

Penelope gave him a sweet smile. "Sounds like you got yourself a little crush on me."

"Is the Grand Canyon little?"

She chuckled. "You silly man. I knew you would succumb to my charms sooner or later. You poor wreck of a man. My handsome stud muffin is going to pot without me home to give you TLC. But I'll be back soon. Just a few more weeks. A month tops."

He groaned. "Is there anything I could do to speed this case along?"

"Derek, who is the tech Goddess here?"

"You are, mama."

"Then let me do my thing. Believe me, I do miss home, you, the rest of the team and my apartment. But I'll be back before you know, squirreled away in my office at the ready to answer your calls with something better fit for a porno then the Federal Beaura of Investigations. Life will be back to normal soon. Its adorable that you miss me so much though."

"I feel like a real jerk, Penelope. It shouldn't take you moving away for me to realize how important you are to me."

"Aw, you're important to me too."

He ran his finger over her nose. "Everyday we get closer. What do you think about that?"

"That one day we'll be so close that clothing will be optional during all our alone time."

"Silly girl, I never know if you're serious or just teasing me but I know I need you in my everyday life and not just a phone call each night."

"Our friendship is unique and wonderfully original. I treasure it too, Derek, and if I had any choice in the matter I would always be your BAU tech kitten."

He ran his thumb over her cheek and under her chin. Waggling his head at her he asked "What if I say I want more than just a tech kitten? What if I want a kitten in Derek Morgan's bed?"

She stilled and swallowed. Her eyes widened.

His voice was thick when he asked "Could you ever see yourself-?"

She cut him off. "I don't know."

"You don't know? Tell me you've never thought about it and I will know those hot lips you got are lying, baby girl."

"I thought we both said-?"

"I know what we said but-"

"We said we were better as friends. That's what we said."

"I know and I did think that but-"

"I am the type of woman that grows on men."

"Baby-"

"It takes a while for me but this is not unusual. I was always that girl that hung out with guys and they thought of her as a guy till they looked up one day and saw boobs and realized how she knew everything about them and then they convinced themselves she was the one for them. But all those guys were horrible lays and I doubt you would be so I guess the comparisons stop there."

"Motor mouth, hush. Don't lump me in with some losers you used to know. I didn't look up one day and realize you're a beautiful princess. I always saw that. I just wouldn't admit how very much you mean to me until you moved here. Call me a chicken, Garcia, but don't blow me off cause my heart is so in my hand right now and I just want you to see that." He kissed her forehead. "Now, no more about this tonight. Just think of what I said and when you come home we'll figure it all out. I just want you to know, baby girl, that I miss you and I am so sprung over you...I never missed anyone like this before. It sucks."

She smiled sweetly. "You have given me a lot of food for thought, baby."

"Think about this too," he pulled her close and gave her a very soft kiss, then another soft and tentative kiss, and another and another until she wrapped her arms around him. He moaned and deepened their kisses, feeling heat flood him and shivers shoot down his spine, his dick went hard and he was completely drenched in lust, the scent of her, the taste of her and the feel of having her softness in his arms.

By the time they broke apart she was sitting on his lap. He kissed her throat and shoulders and then her cleavage, getting completely carried away as his breathing quicken more and more with every kiss pressed to her overheated perfumed skin.

"You smell so good, Penelope." Derek kissed all up her throat and caught her mouth in another kiss.

After pulling back he looked into her eyes and saw she was just as turned on as he was. Moaning, he pulled her into a tight embrace and started to nibbled and suck on her bottom lip, while his hands smoothed all over her back and then moved up to bury themselves in her hair.

"Derek, oh, wow, you are in a league of your own."

He smiled a little. "Does that mean you could see us together?"

"Just keep kissing me so I can't think too hard."

"But I want you to think real hard, Garcia. Think about how I can't go another minute without knowing you love me back."

"Oh," she said in the cutest tone that told him she was letting her walls crumble "you said that dangerous little four letter word."

"Sweetheart, that four letter word is the only word big enough for what we got going on between us."

She raised her hands and caressed his face. "Handsome hunk, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?"

"Woman, I'm trying to close the deal in a big way. A real big way. All the things I thought I couldn't say I wanna say to you but its hard, Penelope, to get it out...just know that as soon as you left I fell apart. I was practically walking into walls."

She giggled.

He gave her a quick kiss. "Woman, I can't function without you around."

"You really are sprung, sug."

"I just want you home again." He kissed her softly. "Come home with me, baby girl." Another soft kiss. "New York don't need you like I need you."

She let out a happy sigh. "If I am coming home to kisses like this I think I have all the motivation I need to work quintuple fast when I go in tomorrow."

"It will suck to leave you here." Derek kissed Penelope again as he let his hands run down her back. "Mmmm, I wanna take you home with me right now."

"Ohhhh, I would not put up much of a fight if you went all cave man and dragged me to your liar and kept me there, naked, for a few years...decades...I'm flexible."

He kissed her neck.

She moaned. "So very flexible."

"When I go," he said as he moved to suck on her earlobe "think about me, girl. Think about your man who wants you back home with him." He gave her a stern look. "And no V or no other man for you, got it?"

She giggled and pushed him back, straddling him as he lay on her couch. Penelope ran her nails down Derek's t-shirt clad chest. "This tech kitten can not be tamed."

"Garcia," he growled "it would not be pretty what I'd do to any man I heard about touching you after tonight. So don't make me, woman."

"You jealous, gorgeous, tempting, chocolate sugar bar. I don't know what's going on with you tonight but I think I like it."

"You think? Look at how hard you got me. You know you like that."

She smiled, leaned down and kissed him. He loved the feel of her heavy, warm tits pressed to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. For this moment she was all his and Derek loved that.

It felt so damn right. Three years were gone but they were years filled with great memories. The next three though...the memories would be so much hotter. He just knew she was gonna be his girlfriend. She might have some doubts about ditching the just friends thing but she kissed him with love.

That little four letter word was made for them. He knew it now and soon so would Penelope.


	45. Baby, Come Back, 4

**Baby, Come Back**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Four**

**September 2007**

Derek had set his cell phone alarm to wake him up at four am so he could catch a five fifteen train back to Virginia. He set it before he ever got to Penelope's apartment the night before. His go bag had been taken from the hotel by Reid, per Derek's request, when the team headed home the night before.

When the phone went off he came awake and groaned a little as he had to crawl out of the warmth of the bed and get his pants off the floor, before he could get the phone off and shut it up.

He took a long moment to stare at Penelope as she slept in the bed and then bent down, gathered up all his clothes and headed for the bathroom. When he came back he was showered and dressed. He sat on the edge of her bed and gently shook her awake.

"Hey, sleeping beauty."

She gave him the funniest sleepy eyed look. "Derek?"

"There better be no other man you would wake up and see here."

She smiled a little before sitting up, putting on he glasses and looking at the clock. "Oh, its early," she dragged out the words.

"I gotta go catch the train."

"Can you give me five minutes, handsome, and then I'll walk you to the door?"

"You can stay in bed, sweetheart. I just didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."

"I could stay in bed but I wanna give you a proper send off and that means minty fresh breath and not morning mouth."

"Silly girl, I could care less about that as long as my lips are on yours."

She smiled sweetly at him as she ran her hand over his chest. "There are not words for how much I enjoyed last night."

"I remember you found some words to express your joy just fine."

She chuckled. "Well you always have inspired me to say things I wouldn't to any other man."

"Forget there are any other men, Garcia."

"So now my world is whittled down to just women and you?"

"Pretty much."

She laughed. "Move and let me up."

Derek did as she asked. He gave her a robe, that was hanging on the back of the door, to slide over her nude body. His eyes raked over her and saw all the places he had lavished with attention the night before. His body was throbbing with the desire to take her right here and now again but he needed to make his train so he could be home in time for work.

His eyes stayed on her as she made her way to the bathroom. She gave him a look that was half shy and half filled with heat. Only she could pull it off and that made it even sexier to him. Everything about her was so sexy.

Making love last night had felt incredible. There was no way he could believe now they were just meant to be friends. Though this change was new and Penelope certainly hadn't made any promises to him yet about the future Derek was feeling good about them. In fact he never felt quite this warm and loved inside after a night of lovemaking before.

That had to mean something important for his future with Penelope. Though he used to think he was not ready for a serious relationship all he knew this morning was he wanted more time with her, all the time they could manage, and he didn't care how serious that made things. So be it then. Just was long as he had her near him.

And so long as he had night after night just like last night, sunk deep inside of his baby girl, their bodies sweat slicked and holding each other tight. The way it felt to be with her was more intense than he had ever known before in all his life.

Derek turned and left the bedroom, of the super small apartment, and walked toward the door. He grabbed his leather jacket and put it on. Then he got his wallet off the coffee table.

He waited for Penelope to finish in the bathroom and after ten minutes she came out, looking wet from a fast shower. His mouth went dry at the sight of her slicked back damp hair and water beads dripping down her throat. She had her robe on again.

Crooking her finger at him she said "Come here, lover, and show me how much you're gonna miss me."

With quick steps he crossed the room, wrapped her in his arms and brought his lips to hers, getting lost in the feeling of plundering her mouth with his tongue. When they broke apart his breathing was irregular and her face was flushed.

He brought a hand up to run a finger down her cheek. In a stern voice he said "Finish your case, woman, and get home to me."

"Yes, Sir Derek."

He grinned a little and moved back from her. With a heavy sigh he said "I better go. I don't wanna have to wait around for the next train."

"Okay. Send my love to all the other super fantastic crime fighters back home."

"I will do that, Penelope," he said in a serious tone that showed how much it hurt him to leave her like this. With determination in his eyes he headed for the door and pulled it open.

Turning around he saw that Penelope had her back to him. Walking nearer he placed his hands on her shoulders, bent and brushed a kiss along her temple. "Stay safe and you better keep calling me."

She nodded.

Derek went to leave and then he heard her cry his name. When he looked at her she asked "Do you think last night is gonna turn into a big mistake for us? Do you think we're pushing our luck?"

"No, I don't think that at all. This world is filled with so much ugliness but you are the light of my world and its not asking too much to want to have more with you. Hey, I don't want you to worry about losing me or our friendship because I won't let that go down. Our friendship is for life, you hear me, baby girl? Life. Life." He dragged out the last words.

She nodded and smiled sweetly. "Go catch your train, my love."

"I will miss you, silly girl." Derek hurried away, taking the stairs quickly and when he was outside he sucked in a deep breath. Then he smiled a little. It was sad to leave her but she would be home again. He just had to learn to be patient.

And once he got Penelope back in Virginia he was gonna never let her agree to an assignment away from home again. When she's gone from him like that it feels like nothing makes sense so that can't happen again.

That's what the last few months showed him. He needed her with him in order to feel complete.

THE END


	46. Living for a Dream, part 1

_This is a song fic set to the song The Search is Over by Survivor. It is highly suggested you go to you tube and listen to this song before reading this fic. Also watch the dates in the story to understand the progression._

_The first section takes place after the season three episode called True Night._

**Living for a Dream**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part One**

**December 2007**

It was the best Saturday night of his life. He wasn't out at some club, dressed to the nines, shaking his behind on a dance floor with a bevy of beautiful women surrounding him. And he wasn't experiencing the rush of taking down an unsub.

Derek Morgan was kicking back at his baby girl's apartment.

Finally she was getting her energy back and he could breathe a little easier over her health. They decided to have themselves a two person celebration tonight. They were making homemade pizzas and for dessert banana splits. Neither were in his usual healthy diet but he would have agreed to anything she wanted that evening.

He loved seeing her looking healthy again. Smiling, laughing, with light in her eyes. Often these days he would watch her from across a room but now he wasn't watching her the same way that he used to- either with pure lust in his gaze, like a hunter stalking prey, or an amused look that asked_ "What is Garcia up to now?"_

Instead he watched her with the eyes of a man in love- truly appreciating how precious she was. He thought he knew it before she was shot. But he had no clue. He had kept a wall up between them, kept a safe emotional distance, kept himself just close enough to make her interested in him (for he didn't ever wanna lose her interest) but far enough away so nothing was truly expected of him.

It shamed him to think how badly he had let her down over all these years. She deserved better- the very best.

Now that she was recovered almost fully from her injuries he had the time to give her that and he had all the motivation that he needed. He had gotten way too close to never sharing this moment or anymore other ones with Penelope Garcia.

He had the chance to make more memories with her now. To share more moments with this woman who amazed him with her strength, courage, fire, intensity, tenderness and sexiness. God had given Derek Morgan more time with his baby girl and he wouldn't squander it.

Dancing around her kitchen, as he made his pizza while music blasted through the air, he couldn't stop smiling. She was laughing at him and that only made him ham it up more.

Until she said "I bet this is a boring Saturday for you. You're a good sport, Morgan, for spending it in like this. I'm sure you can't wait to get back to your normal routine."

His smile slid away.

She wasn't like other chicks. With any other chick he would suspect she was baiting him to say he preferred her company over anyone else's but that wasn't Garcia's style. She truly meant what she just said.

She didn't believe that he would rather be with her than anywhere else. She didn't know that when he said he loved her he meant in from the bottom of his heart. That every day he grew more taken with her.

That he was changing. Growing up. Falling for her in a different way than his lusty crush of the past. She didn't know how it hurt him when she doubted his motivations and feelings.

But Penelope hadn't said those words to hurt him.

Derek knew that. Still it did cut like knife. Because he knew he couldn't call her his woman for real if she didn't believe that he would rather be with her than anywhere else in the world.

He said "I'm right where I wanna be, mama. Now hush that motor mouth and get this food in the oven. This full grown man needs some dinner before he has to go to extreme measures." He gave her a flirty look.

She flirted back "I'm sure I could suggest a tasty appetizer while you wait for the main course."

He chuckled while he watched her take the pizzas and place them in the oven. When she turned back around he was smiling again but his worries persisted. He needed to do more than he was doing in order to prove himself to her.

Derek simply was not getting his message across. She couldn't see his love in his eyes, in his smile. She didn't hear it in his voice, believe it in his words. She couldn't feel his love in her heart and soul.

There had to be a way to let her know that he didn't want to go back to the bar scene. He wasn't bored here with her. Cruising bars for a flavor of the night was boring, vapid, old and tired. Spending all his free time with her was exciting, fresh, new. This was where he wanted to be. Needed to be.

If only Penelope would believe in that...believe in him.

_(How can I convince you_

_that what you see is real?_

_-x-x_

_Who am I to blame you_

_for doubting what I feel?_

_-x-x-_

_I was always reaching._

_You were just a girl I knew._

_I took for granted the friend I have in you.)_

A couple of weeks later it was New Year's Eve. He felt it was his perfect chance to show her his feelings. This way he could always say it was just a midnight kiss if she didn't want more.

He had to protect their friendship, their future. He couldn't push her into a place she didn't want to go with him. Because maybe if she wasn't ready today, if she didn't love him that much yet or believe in him, maybe she would tommorow or the next day. He didn't want to lose her from his life, no matter what.

If it was no big deal to Derek he could have kissed Penelope any old time. But it was the biggest deal of his life. And so he planned it carefully.

They took a cab to a bar and met up with their friends. Everyone was loud and rambunctious that evening. Derek had to fight the crowds all night and do his best to keep Penelope either by his side or within his sight. He still was shaken from her shooting. Her leaving their table to go to the bathroom with Prentiss was enough to put him on edge till she came back and he saw, yes, his baby girl was okay still. Nothing had happened because he wasn't near her to protect her.

In time he hoped those feelings of worry lessened but so far they were as strong as ever. Derek knew too much about the world to not think the worse when he lost sight of the woman he was crazy about.

When it was almost midnight he pulled her away from their friends. He slipped her coat on her and took her hand, pulling her outside into an unseasonably warm, for that time of year, night.

"Morgan, do you wanna leave already? We missed the countdown! Are you feeling okay, baby?"

"Shhhh, we didn't miss it yet." He showed her his watch. "We still have a minute."

"And we're out here, why again?"

"Do you know what shhhhh even means, motor mouth?"

"No," she said, in a cute voice as she crinkled her nose at him. "I know what overprotective means though. Are you trying to stop Garci from getting her freak on with a stranger at midnight?"

"Something like that." Derek looked at his watch again. "Here we go: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." He looked into her eyes. "Happy New Year, baby girl. Welcome to 2008."

She gave him a very soft look, as tears pricked her eyes. So often she fought showing too much emotion over her shooting but Derek knew that deep inside it had hurt her soul deeply.

She whispered "We made it."

"That we did." He was looking at her in the most tender way. Gently he cupped her face.

She stilled and her breath hitched.

He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, only lingering a moment, before pulling back and staring into her eyes. "You believe me when I tell you that I love you, right?"

More tears flooded her flush face and she nodded, before hugging him tightly. And Derek believed, foolishly, she truly meant that the way he wanted her to. He believed they were headed somewhere amazing together.

Right where they both wanted to be. Right in the place that made him feel whole, safe, loved and finally excited about his future for more reasons that just his job opportunities. Excited about a future they could share together.

(_I was living for a dream,_

_loving for a moment._

_Taking on the world,_

_that was just my style._

_-x-x_

_Now I look into your eyes._

_I can see forever._

_The search is over._

_You were with me all the while_.)

But soon she broke away from him, wiped her face, suggested they get a cab and they headed back to her place, where she went right to bed, leaving Derek on the couch. As he lay there awake for hours it was clear to him that she didn't know what their kiss had meant to him.

He wasn't about to just give up though.

The next morning he pulled her close the second she came out of the bedroom. Her bed hair was a mess and her dark eyes were sleepy and smudged with make up she hadn't taken off the night before. In other words she looked sexy as hell.

He was determined in that moment. Determined to kiss the doubts right out of her and show her all his feelings. The things he couldn't put into mere words.

"Morgan, what the hell?" she muttered, as he wrapped her in his arms, before she looked up and into his eyes and gasped. "What has gotten into you?"

He let her go and stepped back. "Nothing. Uh...I just didn't give you the best New Year's kiss last night. Not my best work. Thought I could remedy that right here and now."

She gave him a confused look. "Well I certainly wouldn't complain if you want to ravish me but can I brush my teeth first?" She headed for the bathroom, shaking her head at his odd behavior.

Derek sat on the couch, hanging his head. He was getting nowhere fast with romancing her. Doing sweet things only made her see him more as a friend. And trying to be romantic practically had her bolting for the first exit.

Maybe she just needed more time. It had only been a month. Surely time was all it would take to get them where he wanted them to go.


	47. Living for a Dream, part 2

**Note- The song Penelope references in this chapter is Single Ladies by Beyonce.**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part Two**

**Two and half years later**

**June 2010**

Penelope was having an amazing time at Derek's birthday party. He liked to have a bar-be-cue every year and invite a ton of friends over to his house to play games of pick up basketball, eat good food, drink and socialize.

The parties usually went late into the night.

The best part was that Derek never had a date for any of these parties. Though he would hit on women in bars he didn't usually bring dates around the team, and especially not around Penelope, which was just fine with her. Like she needed to see some thin waif thing hanging all over her Hot Stuff, knowing he was taking that lucky woman home to give her the night of her life.

No thank you.

This year especially though Penelope didn't want to see anything like that. She had spent the last few weeks seriously thinking about her life- her job, her romantic relationship, her future. Trying to figure out what worked and what didn't.

She even considered leaving the BAU but, even if the job was gruesome at times, they were her family and she loved spending her days near them. So she wasn't going to go anywhere.

Still there was something off in her life and she knew it.

Today really drove that point home. She had told Kevin about the party but they were fighting a lot lately- he didn't believe Morgan slept on the floor in Alaska- and so Kevin had bailed on joining her. And she didn't miss him one bit.

Morgan kept her by his side all day. Soaking up the attention he gave her Penelope felt her heart opening even more to him. This is what she wanted her life to always be like. To look up into dark eyes that were warm with sweet, tender, soulful love for her.

Yes, Kevin had dark eyes and yes he loved her. But it just wasn't the soul to soul connection she had with Morgan. The last few weeks she had been replaying the events of that case in Alaska in her mind over and over and each time she came to the conclusion that when Derek had said "I'm gonna stay on the job a little while longer...everyday of the rest of my life," he had meant it in a deeper way than just friends.

A man like him didn't vow that if he didn't want more. For months now she felt a change in him. A deepening of emotion. His frayed nerves faded and it seemed like he was now being Mr. Perfect, for the first time ever.

No more random hoochies all over him. No more holding back of his emotions. No more playing off his feelings as jokes. Everyday he poured out more and more affection on her. What woman could resist all that?

She felt like she could be his woman now. Like he really did want that. Like she wasn't a crazy chick with a silly crush anymore. Like he was finally falling for her.

Penelope Garcia felt like a miracle had come into her life. Derek Morgan had woke the hell up finally and stopped playing games with her. Now it was up to her to be the brave one who called him on it.

But first she planned to flirt with him just a little more. Get him nice and worked up. Primed for her.

When it was time to serve his birthday cake she took the first slice and fed it to him.

Before putting it up to his mouth, as a crowd was gathered around because they had sang Happy Birthday to him, she cooed, like Marilyn Monroe singing to JFK, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, SSA Morgan. Haaaaaaaaappppppy birthday day...to _you._" She fed him a bite and he moaned as he chewed it.

Using her thumb she wiped some frosting off the corner of his lips.

His eyes held hers, as if no one else was there, while he captured her hand and licked off the frosting. Shivers raced down her spine. She bit down on her bottom lip.

JJ cleared her throat. "Who needs cable when I know you two?" she joked as she moved close to the cake and took over cutting slices and passing them out.

One of Derek's buddies from the ATF, who he met when he taught them hand to hand combat techniques, joked "Where can I find me one of her? You are one damn lucky SOB. Happy birthday, man," then to Penelope he said "When you get tired of his old ass you look me up. My birthday is in November."

Derek glared at him and took his beer away. "Charlie, yeah, you're cut off."

Penelope gave the poor guy his beer back. "He doesn't mean it."

"Uh, yeah, I do," Derek joked, wrapping his arm around her waist and leaning close to her ear. "I gotta stay on my job of protecting you, don't I?"

She flushed from all the attention he was pouring on her. "Well you know how the song goes..."

He arched an eyebrow.

Reid asked "I don't know how the song goes. What song? You have to be more specific."

Rossi slapped him on the back. "I don't think she's talking to you."

Derek look at his friends. "No, Garcia, I don't know. What song?"

The women gave him knowing looks but he really didn't get what they were driving at. His eyes settled on Penelope again.

She smirked and held her hand up to him, as if he was supposed to kiss it. "If you like it then you better put a ring on it."

He stood there, thunderstruck for a moment. She could get him like that sometimes. Then he chuckled and pulled her close. "You're a crazy woman." He stared down into her eyes. "Thank you for being here today."

"I would never miss your birthday. What kind of baby girl would that make me?"

The way she was looking at him in that moment Derek could almost believe he wouldn't have to keep fighting his own heart on a daily basis. Trying to forget he had fallen in love with her. Trying to pretend he had gotten over those feelings. Trying to be just the good friend. Trying to love her in a different, less soulful and romantic, way.

He could almost think they were really on the edge of something today. Something that could change the rest of their lives.

_(Can we last forever?_

_Will we fall apart?_

_At times its so confusing,_

_the questions of the heart._

_-x-x_

_You followed me through changes._

_Impatiently, you'd wait_

_till I came to my senses through some miracle of fate_.) (The Search is Over by Survivor)


	48. Living for a Dream, the end

**Note- There is a change in the lyrics here. The word 'love' was replaced with 'others'**

**Living for a Dream**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part Three**

**June 2010**

It was after eleven pm when Derek walked the last guest to their car. He came back to the backyard to look for Penelope but didn't see her. Heading inside the kitchen, through the sliding glass door, he found her putting dishes in the dishwasher.

"Leave it be, mama."

"Almost done."

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "You're done."

"With you distracting me, yeah, I guess I am."

"Well I hope you stuck around till everyone else was out of here for Derek Morgan's company, not because you think I need help cleaning up."

"The birthday boy shouldn't have to do any dirty work today."

"Woman, its fine. I'll deal with the rest of the clean up in the morning. For now you and me are gonna kick back and relax. Now the birthday boy has spoken so that is that, got it?"

She crinkled her nose. "Got it, Mr. Bossy. I won't complain about getting out of clean up duty. And I did stick around so we can have a talk."

He looked deeply into her eyes, as she had her head titled to look up at him. "Oh yeah?"

Penelope slipped from his arms. Walking backwards she crooked her finger at him. "Come to mama."

He chuckled. His eyes drank in her sexy shape in her gauzy peach summer dress, her bare feet, and her hair in loose waves. With a grin on his lips, he chuckled again, and followed her to his living room. A lamp was on, illuminating the room a little.

She had a very seductive look in her eyes.

He asked "A talk, huh?"

Batting her eyelashes at him she turned away from him, looked over her shoulder, and pushed down one strap of her dress. "Oh, not yet," she teased. "Don't rush me. Garci hasn't even given you your birthday present yet."

With eyes burning with lust he watched as she swayed her hips and teased him for another moment before she giggled, flicking the strap back in place.

Derek choked on his tongue a little and told her. "That was so mean."

She gave him pouty lips and he chuckled, moving close to her, ignoring the tightening in his pants from her short show. If her dress had fallen to the floor it would have took supreme willpower to ask her if she was sure she wanted to do this considering she had Kevin in her life.

Derek could feel something very sensual and intense buzzing between him and Garcia for a while now. The case in Alaska had just ratcheted up the already high temperature of their friendship.

Slowly she walked over to him and took his hands then pulled him down on the couch, so they were facing each other and sitting very close. Her eyes held his. He watched as she grew a little nervous, wetting her lips and letting out a shallow breath.

"So," Penelope started "first of all let me say that, you have been amazing lately. You've really been there for me and I totally appreciate the support."

"Anytime, baby girl."

"But...its causing problems between me and Kevin."

Derek swallowed hard and felt a cold chill shoot through him. He pulled back his hands. Leaning back in a feign posed of casualness and deep thought he kept his eyes on hers. "I'm sorry to hear that. What's the problem? He thinks I'm crossing some kind of line or something? Is that what you think too?"

"Yeah, no, I mean...yeah, he thinks that and no, I don't think that. I think that Kevin and I have just, you know, run our course so what I'm trying to say is that you are looking at a woman who will soon be a single lady...hint, hint."

His heart skipped a beat while his eyebrow shot up. "Hint, hint?"

"Yeah."

They shared a tender look.

"That is a good birthday present," Derek told her.

"Whew," she said, relaxing. "I was hoping you might think so."

"I do think so, very, very much," his deep, silky smooth voice told her. He felt like jumping for joy but he kept his cool exterior. "How much have you thought about this?"

"Tons. Like tons and tons. Like constantly...well, not constantly, not obsessively. I'm not obsessed with you or the idea of...you and me being awesome together...I've thought about it some."

He smirked. "Yeah, I can tell."

"And I'm not asking you to give me a sign that this is what I should do when it comes to ending things with Kevin. I have no choice there. Its just not fair. I don't think its ever been fair to him but now its really not and he's mad over silly things that never happened but, to be honest, I wish half the things he thinks we did we really had done."

Derek loved the sound of that. "Baby girl," her name had never sounded so throaty, so soft, so intimate. He leaned close to her and held her face in his hands. "Just so you know...I am not going anywhere. I am here whenever you're ready. I'm here...and I will be here...I'll always be here, okay?"

He could feel her shiver. Her breathing was shallow. She sniffled. "This was supposed to be a lot sexier."

Derek laughed and then pulled her into his arms till they were pressed tight together. His heart raced as he felt her curves against him. "That better?"

"Mmmmerrrruhhhh," she mumbled something.

"Huh?"

"Much."

"Much," he murmured. Though he had been to hell and back in the last three years all that confusion and pain fell away as he held her trembling body, stared into her love filled eyes, and felt her give herself over to him. Put her heart and her future in his hands.

He didn't care if he had to keep waiting a little while more for her to end things with Lynch and for them to ease into dating. Because now Derek knew the day would come when Penelope was his. He knew the wait would end.

He knew she believed in his love finally.

(_Now the miles stretch out behind me._

_Others I have lost,_

_broken hearts lay victims of the game._

_-x-x_

_Then good luck finally struck_

_like lightening from above._

_Every highway leads me back to you_!)

She lay her hand on his cheek, gently caressing him. "Have I ever told you I love your face?"

"Mmm, yeah, Garcia, you've told me that."

"Have I told you I love your lips especially?"

"Yeah, you've said that more than once."

"I meant it."

"Do you know what I love about you?" His hands smoothed down her back and ghosted over her ass.

"The junk in my trunk?"

He chuckled. "All...of...you."

She melted and then she kissed him. He wouldn't kiss her first because she had a boyfriend. But the moment happened anyway. And that kiss was one he would never trade for anything.

A perfect second kiss. A perfect start to their new chance, more than their second or third but who was counting, to get things right.

(_Now at last I hold you._

_Now all is said and done._

_Now all has come full circle._

_Our destinies are one._

_-x-x_

_So if you ever loved me,_

_show me that you give a damn!_

_And you'll know for certain_

_the man I really am._

_-x-x_

_I was living for a dream._

_Loving for a moment._

_Taking on the world._

_That was just my style._

_-x-x_

_Now I look into your eyes_

_and I can see forever._

_The search is over._

_You were with me all the while_.)

THE END


	49. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas, 1

**Note- My muse hasn't been very cooperative lately. I wrote this fic a while back but I wanted to make it longer. Finally I decided that it wasn't going to become longer so I am posting it now. Enjoy. Happy holidays.**

**Have Yourself a Merry Christmas**

**Early Thursday Morning**

**December 23, 2010**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter One**

"Don't get snowed in, handsome," she cooed at him, as he stood from the round table and was about to leave the briefing. "You don't wanna miss Christmas, do ya?"

Maybe that's just what he wanted to do. Go to sleep tommorow night and not wake up for a week. It wouldn't bother him much at this point.

Derek Morgan used to love the holidays. As a kid it was his favorite time of year, except for his birthday. Later, when he was in college and then on the police force, he always went to holiday parties and had himself a fantastic time. All he needed back then was loud music, a crowd, some booze and a willing female and he was set for the night.

These days his needs went a little deeper.

For the last five years the holidays had been a time of reflection and depression. He always took off a week from work in December to go see his mother for her birthday and to celebrate an early Christmas with his mom, sisters, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. Back when he started at the BAU he looked forward to that trip so much. He had been a mama's boy his whole life. He missed her something fierce since he had moved to Virginia.

That week at home during the holidays use to be the balm his soul needed to refresh it and remind him who he really was.

But even being near his family didn't ease the ache in Morgan anymore when it came to the holidays. He was getting older and every year he found himself, more and more, questioning the path his life had taken.

Last year he decided to push out the darkness and really make an effort to enjoy his life again. He stopped thinking about what he didn't have and started appreciating all he did. And it had worked. He laughed, smiled and felt more content for most of 2010 then he had in a good long while.

But now the holidays were upon him again and he wasn't looking forward to getting through this next week. He had already been up to Chicago earlier in the month. Now he was back and the team was supposed to be off for the holidays but a spree killer was loose in a small town in Vermont. The BAU had to head up there and try to get the case solved quick so Hotch could spend Christmas morning with his son.

As for Derek's plans he was invited to join Reid out in Vegas but he doubted that he would. First of all it, would cost a fortune to get a ticket this late and, secondly, he just wasn't in the mood for Vegas. If they made it home in time he'd probably just spend the day alone.

Derek told Penelope, his voice weary due to stress and the early morning hour, "Lets hope this is a quick one."

Rubbing her arm as he walked by, he headed out of the room. Penelope followed him.

"Uh, um," she said, in the cutest tone, making him turn around.

He arched an eyebrow. "What's up, mama?"

"Reid says that you probably won't join him in Vegas this year."

Derek shrugged.

Penelope went on, her hand raising to caress his arm, "So this is what Garci is thinking, and tell me that it doesn't totally sound uber awesome, you and me, under a tree, roaring fire, spiked eggnog, Christmas cookies...and nothing on?"

Derek laughed. "You sure do have an active fantasy life, woman." He turned to walk away. She walked next to him.

"Seriously, though, I was hoping you didn't have plans for Christmas night because I'm free and we've never spent the holidays together so..."

He stopped and looked at her hopeful face. "Why are you ditching your boyfriend on Christmas?"

"Kevin leaves for Iowa in the morning. Jayje is already down in Louisiana. That leaves little ole me by my lonesome, handsome, unless you let me show you a merry Christmas."

He tapped her nose with his finger. A small smile curved his lips. "You got yourself a deal."

Her face lit up. Derek added "But I don't have a fireplace so if you want to feel toasty warm you're just gonna have to cuddle up to the closest hunk of burning love that you can find." He waggled his head at her as he spoke.

"Oh, what a hardship," she joked.

He chuckled before heading off to grab his go bag, his mood immeasurably improved. Now he hoped, even more than before, that the team could make it back in time for Christmas. Not only did Morgan hate the idea of Hotch missing Christmas morning with his son but Morgan didn't want to miss Christmas night with Garcia either.

(_I don't want a lot for Christmas._

_There is just one thing I need._

_-x-x-_

_I don't care about the presents_

_underneath the Christmas tree._

_x-x-_

_I just want you for my own._

_More than you could ever know._

_Make my wish come true._

_-x-x-_

_Baby, all I want for Christmas is you_!) (Mariah Carey)


	50. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas, 2

**Have Yourself a Merry Christmas**

**Early Morning, Friday**

**December 25, 2010**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Two**

The team didn't get back to Virginia until almost dawn on Christmas morning. They had caught the unsub rather quickly but still just barely were home in time for the holiday. Though they had missed spending Christmas Eve with their loved ones, the whole team- and also the pilot for the jet- were glad they had made it back to enjoy some of the holiday still.

Derek was certainly exhausted but he was still looking forward to dinner with his best friend that evening. In all the years that they had been friends they had never spent a Christmas together. It felt like a rare miracle that he would get to see her tonight.

He planned to make the most out of it.

In the parking garage at work the team all said good bye and wished each other a merry Christmas, before heading their separate ways. When Derek reached his SUV he spotted an envelope on the windshield, being held down by the wiper. After picking it up he saw scrawled on the front of it _Hot Stuff._

With a chuckle he took it into his vehicle with him. After starting up the SUV, to warm it up, he opened the envelope. Garcia had made him a Christmas card using photoshop. On the front of it was a picture of him and the words: _Santa says you're at the top of his NAUGHTY list_.

Derek laughed and opened the card. Inside was a picture of her and it read: _Saint Nick might give you coal but you can count on me for a sweet treat_.

Then she had kissed the card.

Those words were printed out but she had also written:_ See you at three. I'll bring all the food we need for a feast and we can heat up the kitchen together_._ Smooches, me._

He smiled as he read her words. There was no doubt about it, without her in his life he wouldn't smile or laugh one tenth as much as he did. She made his world a much better place. He used to take her for granted but no more.

Now Derek Morgan knew just how lucky he was to have Penelope Garcia in his life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He collapsed into bed at six am with the alarm set for one pm.

Derek always had trouble sleeping so, after some tossing and turning, he woke up a good forty minutes before his alarm was set to go off. The first thing he did each day, always, was check his cell phone to see if he had any text messages that he had missed. He found several from his family wishing him a merry Christmas. He would need to remember to call his mother later on tonight.

For now though he needed to get started on his day, which meant going to the bathroom, brushing his teeth, letting Clooney out for a while and then working out for an hour in his home gym.

Afterwards he grabbed a long, hot shower and a shave before padding downstairs to the kitchen to start coffee.

Rolling his head on his neck, Derek thought about that evening and how he would spend it with Penelope. He wanted to make it a wonderful holiday for her. He already knew that having her there with him would guarantee that it would be an unforgettable holiday for him. It could be the only one they ever spent together so he planned to treasure every second of their celebration.

Through the years she had been so many different things to him at different times.

She kept his spirits up. She held him close when he needed it. She always had kind words when he was down. Dirty words when she was in the mood. She made work fun and kept him turned on. He never expected her to grow to mean so much to him but over the years that is just what she had done-now he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he loved her. They were good friends but there was always something between them beyond friendship. Something that made them hold back parts of themselves at times...and open up parts that they couldn't open to anyone else at other times.

They were complicated. She had the ability, even if she may not realize it, to make him happier than anyone else ever could. But she also could make him hurt deeper than anyone else could too.

That being said he still wouldn't trade a second with her for anything.

There was a time when he had sworn to his guy friends that men and women simply could not be best friends because sex would always get in the way. Now he knew that wasn't true. He amended his thoughts on the subject since he was now more mature: _Men and women could be best friends but don't be surprised if one of them is lusting after the other the whole time_.

Garcia and him fit that description to a T and Derek would want it no other way.

But there had always been reasons why they didn't hook up. For a long time he had been an avowed player and wanted to stay away from anything serious with anyone. He just didn't think he was _that_ guy, ready for a commitment, back then. By the time he knew that casual relationships were no longer enough to satisfy him, she was officially off the market. His baby girl had become a taken woman.

So he had pushed down whatever romantic feelings he had for her. It hurt to do it. It wasn't easy getting over that pain but he had pulled it off with time.

They became even closer as everyday passed. So close that sometimes all he ached to do was take her home with him at the end of the long day- make her dinner, cuddle with her on the couch, hold her close till morning and then start the day with a sexy shower. Now that would be some good morning.

He wanted more. There was no denying that.

But Derek wasn't going to complain about what he had with Penelope. He was damn lucky she cared so much about him. And he refused to screw that up by trying to get her to ditch her boyfriend for him.

Hell, she must love that guy. That was all Derek needed to know to keep him from crossing that line. It should be easy by now to not go there. He had more than enough damn practice in resisting kissing her, caressing her, murmuring sweet nothings against her ear. But it wasn't easy at all.

Each day it grew harder to not confess his need for her. Each day he was pretty sure he grew to love and lust after her a little bit more than the day before.

He doubted that would change if they somehow ended up a couple one day. He couldn't see his feelings fading away the way that they had for every other woman he ever got near in all his life.

Though Derek didn't know what the future held for him and Penelope he knew that he would forever hold her in his heart.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when he noticed that his answering machine was flashing, indicating a message. He didn't get that many calls on his home phone- except for telemarketing.

Lazily he walked over, pressed the button and got a shock when he heard Kevin Lynch drunkenly slurring out a hate filled diatribe. "You dirty bastard...you just couldn't leave her be, could you? Could YOU?...Well..." hiccup "merry fraking Christmas, AGENT ASSHOLE!...You can have her, you hear me? HAVE HER!...She loved me. Me. She wanted me. Me. I was her hero..." and then it turned into nasty cursing about how Derek could never satisfy Penelope before Lynch slammed down the phone.

Derek stared at the machine, slack jawed.

He supposed he should feel bad for Lynch but at that moment all he felt was concern for Penelope. She obviously had dumped her boyfriend and Derek had no clue when it had happened. Maybe last night or it could have been last weekend or before that.

Pen had a way of keeping secrets sometimes if she wasn't ready to share something.

Whenever it was that she had broken up with Lynch it had to be have been a hard decision for her to make. She had been with him for just about three years now. She had to be hurting inside. Derek was surprised that she had looked so happy the last time he saw her, sounded so bubbly the last time they spoke on the phone.

If the break up was only last night then she would be really bummed when she showed up for dinner in a few hours. Derek set his mind to making sure his baby girl still had a great evening and that she felt comforted by him. He wouldn't push too much for her to talk about Lynch. He'd just hold her close and pour out his love for her.

This Christmas would not be sacrificed to pain and heartbreak, no matter what hurtful things had recently happened in either of their lives. There was always a reason to feel broken inside but whenever Derek got near Penelope all the hurt faded away. And tonight he prayed he could make the same thing happen for her.

He would make sure his baby girl had a wonderful Christmas that she would never forget. Her first Christmas with her Hot Stuff.

(_Have yourself a merry little Christmas._

_Let your heart be light._

_-x-x-_

_From now on our troubles will be out of sight_.

-x-x-

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas._

_Make the yule tide gay._

_-x-x_

_From now on our troubles will be miles away.)_ (Judy Garland)


	51. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas, 3

**Have Yourself a Merry Christmas**

**Afternoon, Friday**

**December 25, 2010**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Three**

He heard her car coming up his block. Esther, her beloved Cadillac, was far from young and kinda rattled and wheezed now. But Garcia wouldn't give her up.

Wearing a smile he hurried to the door, grabbed his coat, and headed outside in time to see her opening up the trunk of her car. He rushed over to carry in the groceries. He never liked her to carry anything heavy if he was around. Whereas any other female friend of his could carry her own darn bags, it was a different story when it came to Garcia.

"Well, well," he called out "what do we got here? My own personal Christmas angel."

She wore a red wool coat and a green checkered scarf. In her hair was what looked like a big Christmas bow. Her high heels were chunky, red and shimmered. Derek chuckled happily at the sight at his festively attired best friend.

She greeted him warmly with "Hey there, baby boy."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek before he reached out and gently smacked her hand, as she was trying to lift a bag. "Don't even try it. Into the house with your fine self and I'll get all this."

"My sexy chauvinist," she cooed.

He raised an eyebrow at her and pretended to pout. "Hey, this is me being a gentleman and I will always be one where you are concerned so deal with it. Now go."

"Okay," she said in a cute tone before sashaying her way into his home. Derek didn't pull his eyes off her till she was inside.

Once he got the first few bags into the house he found her in the kitchen. "Did you buy enough food to feed an army or what?"

"Just enough for a proper Christmas feast."

He grunted, dramatically, as he set down the bags, as if they were straining him, when they were far from even making him break a sweat. "One load down. Twenty to go."

She chuckled. As Derek headed back outside he told her to open some wine for them to drink while they cooked.

It took them over an hour before they had dinner well under way. With the turkey baking away in the stuffing and all the prep work done for the rest of the meal, they headed to the living room so Derek could catch some of the football game.

Kicking off their shoes, wine glasses in their hands (now on their third glass each), they settled onto the couch. Penelope wore a green dress that nicely hugged her curvy body but was made more wholesome with a red sweater over it. Derek had on cream colored pants and a cream angora sweater.

Feeling a little tipsy, Derek boldly lifted Penelope's legs so that they lay over his lap, her back rested against the arm of the couch. He grabbed a throw pillow and situated it behind her.

"Comfy enough, baby girl?"

"Perfect." She gave him a dreamy look.

He smiled smugly. He bet that loser Lynch never put stars in Garcia's eyes like Derek Morgan could- at least he chose to believe that for the sake of his own sanity.

He flipped on the game. As they watched she asked the silliest questions about it, making him laugh and roll his eyes. Finally she said "I've never been much into sports," which Derek already knew.

"No. Really?" he teased.

She playfully smacked his arm. "Hush or else I'll turn on the parade."

"Long over."

"Then I'll turn on a marathon of sappy Christmas movies." She grabbed the remote. "Try me. I will do it." She waved the remote toward the tv and acted like she was about to press the buttons.

He grabbed her hand and tugged the remote toward him, pulling her with it, and soon she was very near him, their faces inches apart. The temperature spiked in the room like the furnace was just kicked up to full blast.

He dragged out the words "Stop it."

"What if I don't wanna? What are you gonna do to stop me?" Her eyes danced with amusement.

Just then the announcers cried "Touchdown!"

Derek jerked his eyes to the TV, out of habit, and Penelope pushed his chest.

She cried "You are such a man!"

"And don't you ever forget that for a second cause I will teach you a lesson if I gotta."

She flushed a little at his throaty words. The game went on. Derek watched a little, flirted a lot and had a great afternoon with his baby girl. His hands kept smoothing up and down her bare leg as they sat there chilling with each other.

The wine was making him feel loose and comfortable. Over dinner they both had two more glasses and by the time dessert came the bottle was empty.

Derek stopped Penelope from cleaning up the table. "Leave it, woman. Come on. Lets go do a Morgan Christmas tradition."

He took her hand and led her back to the living room. After taking out a DVD he put it in the player and started it. Penelope let out a whoop of laughter at what popped up on screen. It was a video of a fire burning in a fire place.

She pressed her hand to her chest. "That is cheesetastic. That's your family's tradition?"

"No, silly, a real fire is but, like I told you, I don't got a fireplace."

"Where in the world did you get that DVD and what in heaven's name inspired you to buy it?" she teased. "Is this how Derek Morgan seduces woman? Oh, the things you learn that you never wanted to know. The fantasy is shattered!"

"Hush! If you must know this DVD was a gift from a date years ago. She figured it was romantic."

Penelope collapsed on the couch laughing. Derek crouched in front of her, chuckling himself, and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Thank you very much for spending tonight with me. Having you here makes it a perfect Christmas."

Her breath hitched. The moment stilled. Their eyes searched each others. Her hand rose and caressed his cheek.

"Derek,"she whispered.

Feeling like her voice was drawing him in, he leaned closer to her until their lips almost touched. Then his cell phone started to ring.

"Derek," she whispered again.

He loved the throaty way she said his name. Damn, it never sounded that good on anyone else's lips. Speaking of lips, he loved how hers looked with lipstick on them- especially red lipstick. She wore red lipstick better than any other woman on earth.

As he crouched there, one hand was on the couch to keep his balance but the other tangled in her hair, he ground out "Baby girl," his tone gravelly with growing want.

"Derek, your phone," she said, almost nervously.

He took a moment to figure out what the hell she meant. His eyes widened some. _Your phone_. Hmm. That wasn't what he expected to hear fall from her lips.

Maybe,_ please_ or _yes_. But not _Your phone_.

He eased back a little, deflated. "Huh?"

"You missed a call."

Derek looked over at the phone on the coffee table. His shoulders slumped. "Oh, um, all right." He stood and then bent to grab the phone, reading the screen. "Its Sarah. I better call back."

"Sure."

He looked at her for a long moment. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing uneven. He hated that she had stopped him from kissing her. He swallowed hard over the lump in his throat and then turned away from her, as he pressed speed dial five for his sister.

"Hey, sis, merry Christmas!"

"Tell everyone I said hi," Penelope said, as she stood and straightened her clothes.

"Garcia says hi. How's it going up there? Are you all stuffed?"

Penelope walked up behind Derek and wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against his back. He turned and pulled her into a tight hug, still yammering at his sister, his tone becoming less forced and more jubilant with every moment he held his baby girl.

He tipped up her chin and stared into her eyes. Dark, warm love filled eyes that told him he shouldn't worry about anything because they would find their way one day. He believed in her and the silent promises she made him in that moment.

He would always believe in Penelope because when he did then his life felt like it made sense. He had learned his lesson years ago about letting doubt beat him down.

Never again. This Christmas he would believe that love would win out in the end.

(_So here's my lifelong wish,_

_my grown up Christmas list, _

_not for myself but for a world in need:_

_No more lives torn apart._

_That war would never start._

_And time would heal all hearts!_

_-x-x_

_Every man would have a friend._

_Right would always win._

_Love would never end._

_-x-x_

_This is my grown up Christmas list_) (Michael Buble)


	52. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas, 4

**Have Yourself a Merry Christmas**

**Evening, Friday**

**December 25, 2010**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Four**

She maybe had one too many glasses of wine tonight. The room looked a little hazy. She felt overheated, as she stood there with her arms looped around Derek's waist while he chatted with his family up in Chicago.

Penelope took in a deep breath, to center herself, but only ended up getting a good whiff of Derek's musky cologne. He smelled fantastic. Like the virile, athletic, hard body man that he was. His cologne could make her dizzy, it was that intoxicating to her.

At the moment her emotions were heightened. They were on the edge of something major and she knew it. So many words were stuck in her throat, unsure of the right way to say what she so desperately wanted to say.

Remembering earlier in the day she thought of how tantalizing it had been when his hand was massaging, lazily, up and down her leg while they half watched the football game. Each stroke set her more and more on fire for him. But even a look out of the corner of his eye at her could do that.

Let alone thinking he wanted her for real. Wanted to caress her. To kiss her. Just moments before he had tried to go in for a kiss.

A kiss she knew she couldn't let that happen without talking to him first but when those onyx eyes of his had pinned her down she stopped being able to think for a moment. Luckily his phone rang and jerked her back into reality.

Penelope had been holding back on Derek and it just wasn't fair to let him kiss her until he heard the truth fall from her lips. For months now she had been feeling them grow closer and closer. It thrilled her and made her confused all at the same time.

Kevin had grown less and less attractive in her eyes, as she had begun to think she could have Derek as her man instead, and all Kevin's bad habits started to drive her up the wall. She snapped at him all the time and he became irritated with her moodiness. She escaped into the theater, an old love from high school that she resurrected when she felt like she needed to find herself again. Find out who Garci was without any man around telling her she was amazing. She needed to find that part of herself that had confidence in herself all over again. She needed to lose herself to the role, to being someone else, and feel the worries that were starting to overtake her lift off her spirit.

It had really worked for improving her mood.

She dyed her hair red for the role and spent months in rehearsals until finally she had made her debut. By that time Kevin and her were barely pretending to be together anymore. She finally ended it a week ago. He took the news stoically at first but then he had started to call her every night after he got drunk and ramble on about how she had betrayed him.

Penelope knew he was right but she also knew that everything happened for a reason. She could betray Kevin or betray her own heart. Perhaps even her own destiny.

And betray Derek. Betray his love for her. Betray their bond. That wasn't an option.

She couldn't know if her and Derek would be as wonderful together as lovers as they were as friends-there was a part of her that was scared of what would happen if they weren't a perfect match that lasted forever- but Penelope had come too far down this road to turn back now. She needed to take this all the way. She needed his kiss. Needed his touch. Needed him to know he could have her if he wanted. Needed him to believe that they could make each other happy.

In all he did over the last year- all the little ways he had shown his adoration for her, and commitment to what they had- she had felt his love for her. A love that grew with everyday that passed.

Now it was time to tell him all she held back for way too long.

Wanting to feel his warmth, she buried her face against the soft angora of his sweater. His heart beat strong and slightly fast under her ear. He squeezed her a little tighter, as he kept chatting with his family.

The Morgan's in Chicago talked for so long that Derek and Penelope grew weary of standing. They made their way to a leather chair that he had. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. She lay against him as he put the phone on speaker. They chatted with his family for an hour. His mother made sure to tease him about when he would get married and give her grandbabies. She said there was still time to make at least one baby, if not twins, before next Christmas.

Derek laughed. "I'll do my best," he kidded with her. "You know I'm a hard worker."

"Ohhhhh," Penelope cooed "I can vouch for that. He is a very, very hard worker when he puts his mind to it."

Only later would Derek realize that talking to his mother when he was tipsy and had Garcia on his lap was a bad idea. That night it seemed like a great one though and they smiled, laughed, flirted and teased each other while his family heard every word.

At one point she was running her fingers down his chest, over his abs, and the against his belt buckle.

"Watch where you put that hand, woman," he growled at her. "A little lower...lower..."

She giggled and blushed, laying her head on his shoulder. He tangled his fingers in her hair.

Derek murmured, as he sniffed her hair, "Mmmm, strawberries?"

"Your favorite," she responded in a dreamy tone, before intertwining their fingers.

"You know that's right, angel."

Since Derek was on speaker phone at his Mom's house his sister Des was able to cut in "Hey, it's a holy holiday!" she joked. "Give it a rest for one day."

Derek laughed. Penelope blushed three shades deeper and nibbled on her bottom lip.

Derek told his sister "Ma will never get her grandbabies if I give it a rest. Talk to you all later. Derek Morgan has big plans for tonight and none of you all are invited."

Click.

Yeah, in a few days, when he heard from his mother again, he would be mortified. But that night he thought things couldn't be going better. Five glasses of wine and a sexy redhead on his lap would do that to any red blooded male.

Santa had brought Derek Morgan his secret Christmas wish in the form of a flirty, sensual, all his for this night Penelope Garcia. _Merry Christmas to me_, Derek thought, as he tossed his phone aside and then asked Penelope "Now, where were we?"

He leaned in close to her lips and murmured "About here, right?"

(_Santa, baby, I forgot to mention one little thing-_

_a ring, _

_and I don't mean a phone._

_-x-x-x_

_Santa, baby, hurry down the chimney tonight_!) (Madonna version)


	53. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas, 5

**Have Yourself a Merry Christmas**

**Evening, Friday**

**December 25, 2010**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**Chapter Five**

Sitting on his lap in his leather chair, she could feel his warm breath against her lips as he asked "Now, where were we? About here, right?"

"Baby, there's something I wanted to tell you and its uber important."

"Shhhhhhhhhhh." Derek was tipsy and not in the mood for talking. The lusty way he had been looking at her all day said he was only in the mood for one thing.

Penelope was surprised that he was being so bold about it when usually he held himself in check. He kept himself from ever really going there with her. So many times that had frustrated the hell out of her. What she would have given for the slightest sign he was trying to lean in for a smooch even once before tonight.

Now he had tried to go for a kiss twice.

But she kept stopping him. She couldn't believe he was going to kiss her knowing she was still dating Kevin. She wanted him to understand that Kevin was now her ex before Derek's lips ever touched hers. So their first kiss would not be marred with any guilt or doubts about if they were making a rash, reckless mistake fueled by alcohol.

Penelope needed Derek to know she was kissing him because she had picked him to be her man from now on. All he had to do was accept the job.

"But-" she mumbled quickly.

"Garcia," Derek murmured, in a low growl, "damn woman, you talk toooooo much._ Enough_ already."

The wine in her system made her think he sounded so funny at that moment so she threw back her head and laughed. A second later his mouth latched onto her throat, sucking and kissing desperately, and she felt her body turn into a live wire. Suddenly she was burning up in her red sweater that was over her green dress. She chucked out of it quickly, making sure never to move out of reach of Derek's mouth that was doing delicious things to her throat.

He found a spot at the back of her neck, after lifting up her hair, that had her squirming on his lap and moaning in bliss. "Ohhhhhh, that's heavenly."

"You like that, angel?" he whispered, his voice thick with hot, wanton hunger, as he moved his lips to her earlobe. "How about this?" He tugged her earlobe between his teeth.

"Mmmmm, yeah, I like that uber mucho much."

He lowered his head and kissed her shoulders, nibbled her collarbone and kissed up her throat. His hand moved up the side of her body, cupped her breast and his thumb rubbed her nipple, which was already in a hard little nub from all the attention he was showing her.

His deep voice was silky smooth and heady with lust when he asked "You like this?" as he rolled her nipple, eliciting a deep moan from her as shivers wracked her body.

Breathing heavily, barely able to think, Penelope made one last effort to tell Derek what she wanted him to know. "Mmm, I pretty much can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that I like anything and everything you're doing right now but I think you should know something..."

Quickly he took her face in his hands. She gasped at the loss of his warm, large hand on her breast.

His eyes glittered with desire and need when he stared into hers. His breathing was just as quick as hers. Derek wanted her badly. Very badly.

Penelope no longer doubted that a bit.

"What," he asked "should I know?"

She suddenly forgot everything she wanted to say and it took her a moment to snap back into reality. "I broke up with Ke-"

"Nu-uh, don't you say his name right now."

"I just thought you should know."

"Woman, I _did_ know. Now are we done talking? I promise you that we can talk till you're hoarse later...just wait till later..." and then his mouth was on hers and all she knew was that her dreams were all coming true.

His mouth pressed against hers sucked all the oxygen out of her lungs in an instant. He stole her breath away. With shaking fingers, she grasped at his sweater as she tried to drag him even closer to her. They ended up pressed tight together, sharing a searing kiss that shot heat ping ponging through her bodies to places she didn't even know could tingle from a kiss.

Their kisses flowed together- changing in intensity from hard, claiming, possessive ones to softer and more gentle, sweeter kisses- for long minutes, as they got lost in the sensations of discovering each others mouths and tastes, of being allowed to caress each other wherever they pleased. Their hands explored greedily. His sweater was pulled up so she could get at his abs. The strap of her dress was pushed off her shoulder and the zipper tugged down so he could feast on the site of her lacy bra clad breasts. His mouth hungrily kissed over her hot, overheated flush, licking and sucking down her throat and over her breasts.

His every touch and kiss was feverish, desperate after waiting so long for this moment, but packed with emotion.

Taking hold of his face she pulled his head up and murmured "Handsome," before kissing him again. She melted into that kiss. Giving up the last of her fear and fight. Giving in to their love.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A half an hour passed with them sharing kisses and caresses until her dress was peeled completely down to her waist, her skirt was hiked up, she was straddling him and her heated center was against his hardness.

It took all his willpower to wait on her to finally whisper "Take me to bed, Morgan."

Penelope crawled off his lap and before she could fix her dress he yanked it down over her hips. She stepped out of it. He sat back for a moment and admired her lovely, curvy body.

"The face of an angel, the body of a Goddess," he murmured.

She flirted, her eyes hot with want, as she took his hand and pulled him up "And the dirty mouth of a sailor."

His lips slammed down on hers. They started to stumble toward the stairs. The wine in their system and the headiness of the moment making them unsteady on their feet. Her hands moved to whip off his belt and then unbutton his pants. Before they hit the stairs he had them off.

There was no doubts in his mind that this was the perfect way to end their Christmas night. What could be better than showing his baby love his love for her? A love he had to push down for too long but a love that refused to be pushed down even one moment more.

A love that made this holiday and all of Derek Morgan's life so much richer, better and fuller than he ever would have imagined it could be.

_(There's nothing more that I want from you  
than to lay together  
and stay here forever with you._

_x-x-  
There's no one I ever knew  
that I wanted to spend Christmas with  
more than you  
more than you_.) (I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You by N sync)

THE END


	54. The Gift Is You, 1

Note- This story is written for emzypemzy as part of Chit Chat for Author's Corner Christmas Fic gift exchange.

Please watch the dates on each section to follow the story correctly. Each chapter is a different year.

**The Gift Is You **

**Morgan and Garcia **

**December 2007**

**Chapter One **

(_Winter snow is falling down._

_Children laughing all around._

_Lights are turning on,_

_like a fairytale come true) _(The Gift by Jim Brickman)

She had always wanted to spend her Christmas vacation with him but before this year she never had the chance. In the past that had left her feeling rather blue at this time of year, not that anyone ever guessed it.

Penelope Garcia was darn good at putting on a happy front. So in year's past no one would see her loneliness, no one would witness her tears, no one saw her smile slip, she tried to hide all her fears and insecurities from the profilers she worked with- even if she couldn't completely fool them, she managed to hoodwink them somewhat. She was the first to tell Derek to enjoy his trip home to Chicago each year and assure him she had lots to keep her busy.

She'd throw herself full force into volunteer work to fill up her empty days during the long holiday when everyone else was off with their families.

Back then it wasn't like she hung out every weekend with Morgan anyway. It was rare to see each other outside of work. But she had always wanted to. She couldn't help the crazy crush she had on her best friend. Though she dated plenty of other guys nothing ever came of any of that because no guy could compare to Derek Morgan.

And that was especially true this Christmas.

Though the reason that he was being so attentive really sucked- she had been shot and nearly died- the attention itself was sweet and endearing. He could go overboard with doting on her but she still loved every second of being his top priority. She wondered how she would deal with it when this newfound deeper level of devotion faded away.

But for tonight it was here. For tonight he was all hers. And she was all his.

They stood on a chilly street in Washington DC staring at the White House, which was festively decorated, as were the surrounding streets and parks. Derek's stood behind her, his arms around her waist, trying to keep her warm with his body heat.

It had been her idea to come out here. He thought it was too much for her because she was still recovering from her surgery but she felt better and better each day. Since she was still alive she really wanted to live. And that meant getting up off her couch, where her and Derek watched movies for hours on end while sharing snacks, and getting outside to enjoy some of the holiday cheer.

Against her ear, he murmured "About ready to get out of here, mama?"

With awe in her voice, at the majestic look of the White House, Penelope asked Derek "Its looks like a castle, doesn't it?"

He chuckled softly. She could feel the reverberations go through his body. She loved being this close to him. Warm, safe, snug in his arms. Her heart raced fast in her chest over him. Maybe it was silly- after all these years of being just friends- but she still got weak kneed over Derek. It was about so much more than how he looks though. It was about his sense of humor, his wit, his intelligence, his big heart, and his kindness toward her and others. It took a while to figure this man out, and there were still things that confounded her about him, but she felt like she knew him better than she knew most people now.

It was an honor and privilege to be loved by Derek and to love him. Though her crush may forever be unrequited Penelope would not let that make her heart break. Instead she would always remind herself how lucky she was to be loved by him as a friend.

And try to let that be enough.

Tonight felt magical and she wouldn't ruin it by longing for more. Smiling slightly she looked up at him "If I was a princess who lived in a castle you would be my first choice for a prince charming."

He smirked. "I am far from any kind of Prince Charming, Garcia."

"Maybe to all your conquests," she started.

He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Penelope went on "But to me you will always be Prince Derek the brave."

His dark eyes warmed as he smiled tenderly at her. Derek let go of Penelope and moved next to her. "Come on, girl, time to get you out of the cold. How does some hot chocolate sound? There's a shop over on Fifth."

"The only kind of hot chocolate that I want most you can't find in any kind of shop."

Derek laughed at her flirty words. "Watch yourself. The doctor has you on restriction."

"What the doctor don't know won't hurt him."

"You are crazy. Will you behave?"

"Make me."

"You are so gonna get it when I get you home."

"Oh, I've heard that one before. Are you gonna spank me for being a bad baby girl? Do you think you're up for finding out if I bothered to wear panties today?"

"Hush," he admonished her, with a soft laugh, as families with kids walked by them, noticing the flirty banter between them and the nearly sparking chemistry in the air. "Come on, silly girl, we are going to get some hot chocolate and you are gonna be good and that's an order, you feel me?"

"Hmmmm, feeling you, that would be the uber best Christmas present ever. Come closer and I'll tell you where I'd start."

Derek just stood there staring at her, his eyes dark and unreadable, while Penelope smirked happily. There was nothing better than making him speechless.

After a moment he shook his head,, as if to clear his thoughts, and then wrapped his arm around her waist. "Stop distracting me, you sexy thing." He led her down the sidewalk for a block and then they grabbed a cab to take them to the coffee shop for their drinks.

Later they stood on the sidewalk again, to get another cab to take them back to the parking garage where Derek's SUV was parked, when the snow started to fall down very lightly.

Penelope's eyes lit up and she smiled like a little kid on Christmas morning. "Ohhhh, its so pretty, isn't it, baby?"

"Hmpf. All I see are messy, slushy roads and possible car accidents. Oh, yeah, and something to shovel in the morning."

"Bah humbug! Come on, have a little holiday spirit. I didn't grow up with snow every Christmas. Its still a treat for me."

"Okay, angel, you have your treat," he said, in a tender tone. After a moment he chuckled, as he watched her practically dancing in the snow, trying to catch falling snowflakes. "You having fun over there?"

"I'd have more fun if you were over here with me," she flirted.

Derek hailed the taxi and then reached out for Penelope, to help her inside. She slipped and went falling against him. He caught her. They both laughed a little at their mishap. She stared up and into his dark eyes.

He was looking down at her with such adoration in his eyes that it took her breath away. Only lately were his feelings for her on such display. She knew it would fade in time, once he got over her being shot, but for now it was nice to know that he cared so much.

She didn't assume that it was more than friendship on his part though. The days when she thought they might actually hook up were long past. He just wasn't looking for that with her.

Or so she thought.

The way he was staring down at her right now was with a hunger and want, mixed with a gentle longing and sweet vulnerability, screamed so much more than just friends. Maybe she was simply imagining things?

Surely Derek wasn't interested in-

In a flash he went from just holding her in his arms, and staring into her eyes, to pressing his mouth against hers, pulling her tight against him (as if he couldn't get her close enough) and bringing a hand up to bury in the nape of her hair. Their kiss was gentle but firm, insistent, meaningful. A declaration:_ I love you, you silly girl, as so much more than just a friend._

She heard his heart in that kiss and when they pulled apart she was left breathless with her own heart gone. For Penelope's prince Derek, the brave, had gone that last inch, snuck in, and stolen her heart from her. Now she would always have to be his, or else live without her heart.


	55. The Gift Is You, 2

**The Gift Is You **

**Morgan and Garcia **

**December 2008**

**Chapter Two**

"I do not believe that my brother had any part in the making of that cake," Sarah joked as the family hung around Fran's house on Christmas night.

Sarah was in the kitchen with Penelope. They were getting dessert ready to take into the living room.

"He helped," Penelope said, with a smile. Though Derek hadn't known anything about making a yule log he actually had pitched in and helped her make it and the other desserts they had made the night before. He was a pretty good cook but his sisters still loved to razz him that he wasn't trustworthy in the kitchen because he had started a fire as a kid. "Though his talents certainly lay best in the bedroom not the kitchen."

"Ew!" Sarah cried. "Too much information. Its bad enough watching you two go at it with all the kissy face you do and the _baby cakes_ this and _sugar lips _that. Don't put images in my head."

Penelope chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea how much we go at it when no one is looking."

"Woman," Derek admonished from the doorway, laughter in his tone, "my sister don't wanna hear that."

"I have to brag about you to whoever will listen."

"That is enough out of you, motor mouth. Now where are the sweets? Derek Morgan was promised dessert."

"I'll give you your real dessert just as soon as we get back home," Penelope flirted with him, feeling very sexually frustrated because they were staying with his Mom and couldn't have sex during this trip. "But for now you will have to settle for this." She passed him the cake.

"Mmmm, looks good but not as good as my sweetie."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Newly in love people make me sick."

"This ain't new," Derek corrected.

At the same time Penelope said "Oh, I have been in love with this handsome hunk for a while now."

Sarah took out plate of Christmas cookies, leaving Derek and Penelope alone. Penelope moved close to his chest, looking up and into his eyes. Whispering she said, as she ran her finger down his muscled chest, "Don't get me wrong, I love your family-"

"Our family."

"Our family, Hot Stuff, but I really, really, really will turn on the waterworks next year if you so much as think of fighting me on us getting a hotel when we come to visit again."

"I hear you, Garcia," he said, his tone growing thicker with a lust that they couldn't act on.

They had been engaged since three weeks after they started dating but Penelope insisted on a long engagement so there was no wedding date set yet. They had moved in together at the end of summer, after Derek got rather testy about the whole "Lets not rush too fast," thing Penelope would say when she got nervous over them.

Ever since they had gotten together she never had to wonder if he loved her or wanted a future with her. He was the first to say "I love you,"the first to initiate intimacy, the first to ask for a commitment. Derek was slow to love or trust anyone but when he did give his love he loved a person with all he had and that is how he loved Penelope.

She was sure she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She just wanted to take things slow because her fears and insecurities sometimes made her think crazy thoughts that he would tire or bore of her, that he wouldn't like being married, that something would go wrong somewhere. She didn't think that a woman should get married till she could do so without thinking insane, irrational thoughts borne from fear.

So they were waiting for that right moment when Penelope would feel the stars were all aligned for them. Sometimes she felt such guilt over making Derek wait (even though he kept her waiting for years as he had played the field) but she had to do what felt right in her heart.

The ring she wore on her finger was her most prized possession though. Her princess cut diamond antique ring with rubies and emeralds in the band was her constant proof of Derek's devotion to her. When he was far away from her she would look at that ring and know he was fighting to get back home to her as soon as he could. That she was his love of his life. That he overcame his fear and doubts to be with her.

And one day she would do the same and then marry him. For now they were happily dating and could barely keep their hands off each other still. Being together constantly for the last five days but not being able to make love had Penelope feeling like she was about to implode.

At Derek's mother's home there was always some relative around and the apartment was so small that there was no chance for privacy. They made the most of their kisses, really savoring every moment, but it was not hardly enough.

He bent just then and gave her another slow, sensual, need filled kiss before slowly pulling back. "Mmmm, you taste like frosting."

She let out a laugh. "I might have taken a little swipe of the yule log. Just for taste testing purposes."

Derek chuckled and followed her out of the kitchen. They spent the next few hours sitting around the roaring fireplace chatting with his relatives. Derek kept his arm around Penelope the whole time, and his other hand stroking her leg, while also whispering in her ear every now and then.

She knew how much it meant to him that she was sharing this Christmas with him and his family. It meant just as much to her.

This is where she had wanted to be every Christmas for years and now she was finally right where she had always belonged.

So when Fran asked"When are you two finally gonna set a date for the big day?" and Derek tensed up, Penelope knew just the answer she wanted to give her fiancee's mother.

With an easy smile on her face she looked into Derek's eyes and asked "How about Memorial day?" The last weekend in May.

"Whatever you want, baby girl." His eyes shined with happiness.

Fran's cries of happiness and prattling on about planning the ceremony drowned out Derek's chance to say anything else but Penelope could tell that she had made his day. And, finally, deep inside she knew that it was the right time to move forward for them.

_(Sitting by the fire we made,_

_you're the answer when I prayed_

_I would find somebody_

_and, baby, I found you)_ (The Gift by Jim Brickman)


	56. The Gift is You, 3

**December 2009**

**Chapter Three**

"Mark my words," Derek said, as he hauled shopping bags out of the back of their SUV, "this is the very last year that I go to that hell hole on Christmas Eve."

"Oh, poor Mr. Grumpy pants," Penelope teased her husband. "Having to go to the dreaded mall and shop. Your life is so hard."

They headed up the driveway and toward their house. "Let me ask you something, woman, considering that you are the all knowing and all capable Oracle of cyberspace so why can't you do all your shopping with your magic fingers?"

"You know why. I have to see each item to know ifs its got that perfect something something that makes it the right present. You can't tell that on a screen."

"Hmpf. You better get your shopping done by October next year."

"I can't feel the spirit of the season in October so that ain't likely."

"I'll give you the spirit of the season right on your behind if you ever think of dragging me to that mall on Christmas Eve again."

She chuckled as she unlocked the door and let them inside. Penelope disabled the alarm then petted Clooney while Derek divested himself of the bags, his gloves and coat.

Penelope started to ramble on about all the things she still had to do before the morning. They were having over the BAU team (minus Hotch because he would be spending Christmas with just Jack). They had all been snowed in a couple of days before when a snowstorm whipped down the eastern seaboard. Flights were taking off again but since the team only had off another day it was useless to fly somewhere just to have to fly home the next day. So they threw together a last minute plan to celebrate at the Morgan home.

"Baking can wait," he said.

"Not if I wanna get done before three am. And I need your help with the-"

Derek pulled his wife against his body. "What happened to," he waggled his head at her as his voice turned low and throaty "_I'll make it up to you, Hot Stuff, if you're a good boy while I shop_."

She smirked. "Oh, you think you earned a reward, do you? With all that complaining?"

"Complaining? Hell, I bit my tongue so much it started to bleed at one point."

She laughed. "Not how I remember it."

"Let me see if I can ring any bells for you," he said, as his head dipped and his mouth caught hers in a kiss.

They kissed slowly and languidly, tongues tangling as they both softly moaned, until Penelope gently pulled back. "Ohhhhhhhh, you sure do know how to ring my bell."

He picked her up quickly, so her legs wrapped around his waist, and said "That must be why you married me."

"I married you so I'd have someone around to do the yard work."

"Hey, hey, hey, you are so not right. Stop that," he teased.

With her lips curved up in a happy smile, her eyes shining, she kissed him and it quickly turned heated. Their sex life was still in the smoking hot phase, after two years of dating and six months of being married. Since Derek was out of town so much they had to make the most of the time that they did have together.

And make the most of it they always did.

Derek had once feared that his life would get boring once he was a married man. It would turn mundane and he'd have no way to burn off his stress from his job. He'd have too many responsibilities and a woman who couldn't understand his work.

But marriage was nothing at all like that. He had found a woman who got him on every level. And being her husband made his life richer and better than he ever had it before. He didn't even like thinking about where his life would be if he hadn't kissed her that night on the sidewalk in front of the diner, as snow fell down on them while they waited to catch a cab.

And he didn't want to think that one day he'd spend a Christmas without his woman. That wasn't the way Derek Morgan's life was meant to go down. No way. He needed his solace, his wife, his love.

Kissing her while they made their way to the bedroom he made every kiss count, showing her how damn hot he was for her still, how needy, how desperate. And he was. He was still a crazy lovesick fool over Garcia- who he had made Penelope Morgan just the summer before.

Now it was set down on paper and avowed in their hearts: till death do us part. He finally had a good reason to try and live a long, long life. Rather than to be okay with the idea of giving his life for his job. He still would take risks in the field but now he had so much more to lose if the risk didn't pay off. He had a lifetime with his wife that he would miss if anything ever went wrong out there.

That was too much to bear to think about so Derek pushed those thoughts away, getting lost in the feel of Penelope's soft lips, her warm skin, her touch, her body under his.

They had this Christmas and God willing they would have many more too.

(_All I want is to hold you forever._

_All I need is you more every day._

_You saved my heart from being broken apart._

_You gave your love away_

_and I'm thankful every day_

_for the gift_.) (The Gift by Jim Brickman)


	57. The Gift is You, 4

**The Gift Is You **

**Morgan and Garcia **

**December 2010**

**Chapter Four**

In the early morning light Derek stared at his wife as she slept. They were staying at his mother's house for Christmas. Since Penelope was advised not to ride on a plane in her third trimester they had driven to Chicago. Even though Penelope had made Derek promise two years before they would get a hotel when they next visited Chicago it never seemed to actually happen. His mother loved having them in her home and it always seemed rude to deny her that simple pleasure.

Most visits were spent wishing for half an hour of an empty house so they could satisfy their pent up cravings. But this trip was totally different. Penelope was just over eight months pregnant. Their whole world was centered on the child growing inside of her- making plans, dreaming about the baby's future, discussing possible names. Aubrey, Johanna, Sierra had all made their short list. Penelope wanted a name that wouldn't blend into the crowd.

What Derek wanted most of all was a healthy baby and wife. Sometimes he couldn't sleep for worrying about Penelope going into labor. Since he didn't want to miss the birth he was going to take time off when they got closer to her due date and stay near her side constantly-even if he drove his wife crazy with his doting ways.

Derek had to be there to hold her hand when she brought their child into the world. Just another month, maybe a little more or less, and they would be the parents of a newborn. It still blew Derek's mind how he had went from being such a ladies' man to falling for his best friend and then marrying her. It felt surreal sometimes. Like he shouldn't be this lucky. He shouldn't get to be the guy who has all this.

Like he would wake up to find the last few years had all been a dream and he was still living alone, playing the field, the bachelor with just a dog for company. That Penelope would belong to some other man who was smart enough to fall in love with her at first sight and actually, unlike Derek, tell her so right away. A man who deserved this happiness that Derek called his own.

He had to shake himself sometimes and remind himself that he was the man who got all this not because he was the most deserving man in the world but because Penelope had chosen him. Because she said he made her happier than any other man ever could. And, for the rest of his life, he planned to stay on his number one job of pleasing his baby girl.

Staring at his sleeping wife, Derek had the urge to lean over and kiss her but he didn't want to disturb her. There would be time for kisses later. They had a whole lifetime to spend together.

(_Watching as you softly sleep,_

_what I'd give if I could keep_

_just this moment,_

_if only time stood still._

_But the colors fade away_

_and the years will make us grey._

_But, baby, in my eyes _

_you'll still be beautiful_.) (The Gift by Jim Brickman)

XXXXXXXXXXX

The first year that Penelope heard Derek's Uncle Blue sing an Irish folksy Christmas ballad she had been appalled at his drunken carrying on. But this year she sang along with him. She had grown to enjoy the song because now it held funny memories for her of that first Christmas that Derek had brought her home with him.

Uncle Blue's real name was Bob but they all called him Blue because as a baby his security blanket had been blue. He dragged it around for four years and the nickname stuck. The song he sang every Christmas he had first heard when it was popular in the eighties. He was married back then but now he was divorced. His drinking had chased his wife away- though she was still friendly with him. Considering he was seventy years old it didn't seem he'd ever go on the wagon. That made Penelope sad but she loved him and his drunken but festive spirit at every Morgan family party.

Whenever she thought of Blue she thought of this song he would sing with gusto at Christmas time.

Penelope had downloaded the song to her ipod and had been singing it for the last couple of months, along with other Christmas tunes, to keep her in the spirit of the season as she battled morning sickness, swollen ankles, worries about preeclampsia and Derek's overprotectiveness that had kicked into high gear the moment he first suspected she was pregnant. Leave it to the profiler to figure it out before his own wife. He thought she was hesitant to mention it since they had stopped trying when they went through eight months of not getting pregnant and had decided to take a break from thinking about kids. But Penelope hadn't even realized she missed her period. Back then she had been stressed out over work big time.

Once Derek had suggested that her moodiness might be because she was pregnant (asking her in a way that was so sweet and worried) she had been scared to even believe it was true. Ten home pregnancies later it was confirmed and joy filled the Morgan house.

All their worrying, and talking about going to see specialists, was for naught cause they were fertile without any help. And now their baby was only a month away from being in their arms.

Even on Penelope's worse day now she knew that she was one lucky chick-a-dee. She had the life of her dreams and nothing to complain about. And so she sang with Uncle Blue, who slurred more than he pronounced, as Derek looked on, shaking his head at her silliness, and some of the rest of his family laughed while others joined in the singing.

"And the boys of NYPD choir still singing Galway Bay and the bells are ringing out for Christmas day...I could have been someone. Well, so could anyone. You took my dreams from me when I first found you... I kept them with me, babe. I put them with my own. Can't make it out alone. I built my dreams around you... The boys of NYPD choir still singing Galway Bay and the bells are ringing out for Christmas day."

Before they had left for their trip Derek had presented Penelope with the first present from him to their baby. Their baby had already received several gifts from their excited friends. Reid sent Mozart CDs for Penelope to play to her stomach. JJ was buying baby clothes practically every time she went shopping. Emily bought a book that was interactive. It was a bedtime story that allowed Emily to tape herself reading it so that their child could hear her reading that story anytime the baby wanted. Not to mention the baby shower where everyone went completely overboard with giving gifts.

But the most special present the baby had received so far was from her Daddy. Derek had made a dollhouse. Even though the baby wouldn't be able to play with it for a few years it was still very precious because he had made it himself. Now it sat in the nursery at home just waiting for their little girl to make her entrance.

Penelope was standing at the sink in Fran's kitchen, washing some glasses, when Derek walked up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Woman, you do not need to be doing that. Here. Let me."

"Hush. I'm knocked up not helpless."

He teased her, as he took the glass away from her, "You're knocked up with my baby so my rules."

"Oh, is that right?" she teased back. "And what if I don't like your rules? What are you gonna do? Spank-ow!"

"What? Penelope, talk to me."

"Its nothing, I'm sure."

"Is she kicking you like crazy again?"

"No, it was just a twinge."

"Twinge?"

"Its been happening all day."

"What?"

"Like I said, I'm sure its nothing. Its too soon for it to be something."

"MA!" And then Derek was ignoring his wife in favor of getting a second opinion from his mother. Soon Penelope was sitting down, with her feet up, as Derek fretted about if she was having contractions. She convinced him to sit down and watch a movie, taking a wait and see approach, and by the time it was over the contractions were a little stronger, but still very far apart.

Penelope said "It could just be false labor. Tell him, Fran. Its probably false labor." Since she was afraid of giving birth she was trying to convince herself that she was not actually going to give birth that day or the next. She still had weeks.

Derek looked at his mother with big eyes.

Fran conceded, speaking slowly, "It _could_ be."

"And it could not be," Derek said. "Come on, woman, we are taking you to the hospital."

"But-"

"Penelope Morgan, do you wanna give birth right here on my mother's couch?"

"Of course not but-"

"Then we're going to the hospital!"

"I'm giving birth in Virginia with my doctor!"

"Take that up with our daughter," Derek said, as he walked out of the living room to go pack a bag for the hospital. The whole way there he called her hard headed and she kept telling him that she was not in real labor.

As they walked through the hospital doors her water broke. Derek started screaming for a doctor as if his life depended on it until his mother calmed him down some. Within a few hours, after a very quick labor, Derek cut the cord and soon after they placed the baby in Penelope's arms.

She looked into brown eyes and fell in love. Tears were in her eyes as she looked up at her husband. "She's perfect! She's the uber best baby ever born. Look at her, handsome. Just look at her."

"I see her," he said tenderly. "As beautiful as her mama."

For so many years Penelope thought this moment would never be hers to call her own. That Derek would never give up his player ways and if he did it would be for some gorgeous model type who was sophisticated and refined. That she would get the life that Penelope dreamed about every night.

Instead Derek gave his heart to her. And now they shared a child, a last name, a home, a future and a love.

Tearfully Penelope told him "I love you so, so much. Thank you. Thank you, Derek, for this angel and for loving me."

"Silly girl, I couldn't do anything but love you."

That's just how she felt about him and their daughter. There would never be a day that Penelope wondered if her life had taken a wrong turn. This was just where she was always meant to be.

They were just good together. And lucky. So very lucky to have each other and their daughter. She would never take her Christmas miracle for granted.

_(All I want is to hold you forever._

_All I need is you more everyday._

_You saved my heart from being broken apart._

_You gave your love away._

_I'm thankful everyday-_

_can't find the words to say-_

_for the gift.)_ (The Gift by Jim Brickman)

THE END

The prompts I had to use were: snow, a present, yule log and the song that is mentioned in this chapter which is The Fairytale of New York by The Pogues. I really struggled to write this but its not about the prompts. Its because my muse seems to have flown the coop lately. Hopefully she comes back for the new year.

Happy holidays everyone.

Sara


	58. Shoulda

This is set during season four episode one, which was called "Mayhem". Some of the dialogue in this appeared in that episode

**Shoulda**

**Penelope and Derek**

**May 2008**

He was going to die without ever kissing her. As the ambulance careened through city streets, laden down with explosives, Derek Morgan knew he should be thinking about how he was going to get out of this alive but all he could think about was her- Penelope Garcia.

The voice in his ear. The comfort in his darkest hour. The brightest light in his world. The only woman in his life who had ever mattered. Did she know all she meant to him? Could she have any clue of all he regretted never doing with her?

_(Shoulda kissed you there._

_I should have held your face._

_I should have watched those eyes_

_instead of run in place._

_

* * *

_

_I should have called you out._

_I should have said your name._

_I should have turned around._

_I should have looked again._) (The Mess I Made by Parachute)

"There's something I really want you to know, Garcia."

She didn't want to hear it though. All she wanted was for him to survive this night. There was no promise he would though so he tried to use his last minute to tell her something that might leave her knowing that he had appreciated and treasured her place in his life.

Derek had never been good at saying "I love you," to anyone. With her he had finally gotten those words out- surprising both of them that he could say what had been unspoken for so long. But he more than loved her. He needed her. In moments like this, there was no one else who he would want having his back. No one he could trust as much as he did Garcia.

He hated that he was making her go through this. Hated that their time together could end like this. Hated that he couldn't even call her his woman. She had given her heart, her body and all her dreams to another man.

Now Derek could be just about to die and it was all because he had made a thousand wrong turns in his life. The ones with her are what really hurt the most at the end of the day though.

(_Should have held my ground._

_I could have been redeemed_

_for every second chance _

_that changed its mind on me._

_

* * *

_

_I should have spoken up._

_I should have proudly claimed_

_that all my head's to blame_

_for all my heart's mistakes_)

"Save it. Just get out," she told him.

"No, no, no, I'm not quite there yet. Just listen to me. You know what you are, Garcia?" Taking a sharp turn he drove over the curb and into the park, hit the gas hard, reached for the door of the ambulance and threw himself out.

An explosion filled the night sky.

"Morgan!" Her terrified voice rang out from his cell phone, as he lay in a heap on the ground.

Slowly he dragged himself to his feet, dirty and banged up but miraculously still alive. Now he was able to tell her how he felt about her place in his life. Maybe it wouldn't change anything. She'd still love Kevin Lynch. Derek would still be the idiot who had every chance to ask her to be with him and let them all pass him by for the stupid reason of thinking he wasn't ready to be serious with anyone. Maybe tommorow would look much like today had.

Except she'd have heard his words tonight. Heard how he couldn't live without her. How he would never want to. How he believed she was an angel that he could never do without.

"Derek?" she whispered into the phone.

"Garcia, I'll tell you what you are to me," he said, panting from exertion. "You're my God given solace. Woman, you promise me one thing: whatever happens, don't you ever stop talking to me."

"I can't right now cause I'm mad at you."

"I can wait."

He prayed he didn't have to wait for the whole rest of his life just to find out he would never get another chance to ask her to be with him. But the truth about what they could ever share together wouldn't be answered today.

Today he was bruised, tired and weary but still, thankfully, breathing to fight another day. Maybe that day would be the one where Penelope forgave him and offered one last chance for them. One more is all he would need.

But Derek didn't know if that chance would ever come.

_(I'm staring at the mess I made._

_I'm staring at the mess I made._

_I'm staring at the mess I made_

_as you turn, you take your heart and walk away._

* * *

_And its you._

_And its you._

_And its you._

_And its you._

_

* * *

_

_And its falling down as you walk away._

_And its on me now and you go._

_

* * *

_

Oh, I'm staring at the mess I made.

I'm staring at the mess I made.

I'm staring at the mess I made.

_As you turn, you take your heart and walk away_.)

Hours later he wasn't too happy to hear that she was at the hospital, in the crowded waiting room, waiting to make sure that he was all right. Reid is the one who told him. Derek didn't like how Penelope had braved the New York city streets on a night when there had been a terrorist attack. He wanted her safely tucked into bed back at the hotel. She was way too hard headed to do that though.

After he was released he made his way to the waiting room. His eyes scanned it. He looked past all the other tired and emotionally exhausted people till his gaze settled on her.

"Baby girl," he called out, just loud enough to get her attention.

Her eyes rose up off the magazine that she had been reading. She hurried to her feet. Relief shone in her dark eyes. "Morgan." The way she said his name was sweet like music to his ears.

He stood stock still, just staring at her, as she hurried across the room. Derek was surprised when she flung herself into his arms. The feel of her warm body, and knowing how she needed to hold him right there, was like balm to his aching soul. He was even more surprised when her hands found his cheeks and pulled his head down. Then her lips pressed against his- time stilled, his world titled, his brain froze, his heart mended, and life became so good in an instant.

After a moment he wrapped her in his arms and returned her kiss. Slowly, softly, gently they kissed each other for just a moment. Yet it was a kiss better than any other in his life. A kiss not of just lust but filled with tender grace.

As he pulled back his eyes fluttered open slowly, heavy and lidded from passion. He stared down into her eyes- wide and questioning but also determined. In her expression he felt he could read some of her thoughts, see her grim determination to say to hell with what she maybe should do or feel and just go for it, whether anyone liked it or not. He felt like she wanted him to know that when she thought he was going to die all she had wanted to do, other than help him to survive, was to kiss him, at least one time in her life.

Just like all he had wanted was to have her kiss.

A long silent moment passed before he asked "Are you ready?" The question meant so much more than just leaving the hospital.

"I'm ready." Her eyes shimmered then and she fought back a silly smile.

He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yes, you are," he drawled out. "Come on. You stick with me and it won't matter where we go, its gonna be the perfect place for us."

"Handsome, if there were not children around I would tell you the only perfect place I can think of for me and you."

"Hush, gorgeous." A huge grin curved his lips and he laughed a little before starting to lead her toward the door.

They made it a few steps before she stopped and gave him a very startled expression.

"What?" he asked, concerned.

"My coat and purse! I almost left them behind."

"Oh." He chuckled again. "Go." He watched her as she crossed the room, gathered her belongings, said goodbye to the spanish woman who had been sitting next to her, and the toddler on the woman's lap, pointed out Derek to them and then Penelope made her way back to him. "Are you ready now?" he teased.

She nodded in the cutest way. "Finally, yep. I promise you that I'm really, really ready. Are you, Derek Morgan, really, really ready?"

"Uh, yeah."

She teased him, obviously able to see the truth of his love written all over his face but also well aware of his past fears of settling down. "Uh? Does uh mean _Oh my God, what am I agreeing to_?"

He laughed. "Uh means _Duh, you should know, woman, that Derek Morgan has done **been** ready_."

She beamed at him. Her smile filled his heart with joy. He helped her put her coat on. Gently lifted her hair so it wasn't trapped beneath her coat. Then he took her hand and led her outside, where they got a cab. She snuggled against him in the backseat.

His shoulder didn't even hurt in that moment because pure adrenaline, and the painkillers he was on, wiped the pain away. Derek enjoyed that moment in the cab: not saying a word, Penelope pressed against him, their fingers intertwined.

He hadn't been lying. She was his solace. Derek thanked God for Penelope every day and he thanked God for this chance to maybe be her man.

She whispered to him, as they were finally at the street where their hotel was located, "God given solace is the most beautiful thing anyone ever said to me."

Over the lump in his throat he promised her, in a hushed whisper, "And I meant every word." A moment later he raised her chin with two fingers and stared into her eyes. "Tonight, in that ambulance, I didn't have time for my life to flash before my eyes. But in the few minutes I was in there, when I didn't know if I'd make it in time, I did see something in my head. You wanna know what?"

She nodded.

He answered "I saw you."

Leaning forward slowly Derek brought his lips to Penelope's again. Unexpectedly, at that early dawn hour after the stress of the last few days and their very fragile first tentative steps to being lovers, their kiss turned heated in an instance.

The cab stopped. Derek kept kissing Penelope as he dug in his back pocket for his wallet. Then he pulled his lips away long enough to pay the cabbie, while she started to nibble his throat.

Soon they were out of the cab and kissing on the city street, kissing in the lobby, kissing by the elevator. It opened and they fell inside, against the wall, kissing some more, stopping just for her to press the button to her floor. Laughing when she forgot what floor she was on.

Before they could get out of the elevator Penelope's phone went off. Reluctantly she checked it and found out that they had to be ready to leave for home in less than two hours.

They went back to kissing and kept kissing till they got to her room. Finally he insisted that they stop, calm down and talk. It was hard to do but he didn't want to rush her into a quickee when he had a banged and bruised body, she had a boyfriend at home, and they had so much left unsaid between them.

Sitting on the couch in her room, with sunlight streaming in onto them, they held hands and whispered words of love, regret and apology. They confessed their desire to be more to each other. Between kisses and hushed, emotional conversation the hour flew by.

Soon Derek had to head back to his room. He wanted to arrange to drive Hotch home because Hotch couldn't fly. Penelope would join the rest of the team on the BAU jet.

Derek held her for a long moment right before he had to leave. He let in and out a slow, peaceful breath. "Just think, if you hadn't come along with us for this case then none of this would have happened. Wouldn't that be a damn shame?"

"We would have always happened, sooner or later. Its you, Derek. For me, its always been you."

Warmth washed through him. Maybe he hadn't made such a mess of his life after all. Not if Penelope Garcia still believed in him.

**THE END**


	59. Listen When You Talk

_This is for The Candy Land Challenge at Chit Chat on Author's corner. The prompt is: Morgan/Garcia, cadbury buttons._

**Listen When You Talk **

**February 2008**

"Derek Morgan, I love you!" she whispered, in a choked up but sweet voice as she looked at him standing there in her office, his offering in his hand.

Usually she gave him some kind of candy treat on or around Valentine's Day but him, being a man, would act like he barely knew that holiday existed. It was always a hallmark holiday in his book. One that The Derek Morgan didn't do.

So for him to bring her candy this year was special. But the kind of candy that it was made it even more so. Cadbury buttons had been her Irish grandmother's favorite kind of candy and she would send some to Penelope every year on her birthday. You could only get it overseas. She hadn't had any in a good fifteen years.

Just a couple months before, when Derek was staying with Penelope after she was shot, they talked a lot about their childhoods, making up for all the conversations they never had before when they were too busy just flirting. She didn't know he had been listening so closely, taking it all in like that, and that he'd remember it now.

He told her, with a grin on his lips, "I know you do but I never get tired of hearing it."

She took the candy from him. "How did you find this? They don't sell these in this country, do they? I've looked and looked for them in stores."

"Nope. You ain't gonna find these in any store around here. Trust me on that. Every clerk I asked looked at me like I was nuts. You gotta go online to order these little babies."

She opened one up and took a bite. "Mmmm."

"Garcia, there is no moaning on company time."

"Mmmmm," she moaned again, standing up and moving very near him. "That's a silly rule."

He gave her a stern look. "Woman, don't start."

She teased, as she ran her hand over his chest. "I'm not doing anything..."

Penelope still found it hard to believe that a month ago she was telling him "You don't want me like that," and now they were dating and it was very clear he wanted her every which way he could get her.

She continued, as she blew on his ear, "But thanking my hunk of burning love for my Valentine Day's present."

Derek moved back. "Tonight you will pay for giving me that look when you know I can't do a thing about it here."

She giggled. "Oh, my love, when you punish me it just makes me want to be badder the next time. Remember there are blind spots around here where no cameras see a thing so when I run out of this chocolate I could always come looking for you to get my next fix. You are the chocolate that tastes best after all."

He growled at her. "You are so getting a spanking tonight! Later, crazy woman!"

With that said he walked out of her office and she sat down in her chair, picked up the Cadbury buttons and spun around, a dreamy smile on her lips. Her mother would like Derek because of his thoughtfulness and the way he protects Penelope. Her grandmother, who had a bawdy sense of humor, would find him deliciously sexy and tell Penelope to never let him go. She wished that they could meet him.

But they weren't here anymore. All she had now were her memories. And a man in her life who understood just how important those memories were to her. A man who would order chocolates from Europe just to make her smile.

He wanted her that way. She had been nuts to ever doubt it. Thank God he had a way of making her see the light. Cause none of her ex-lovers would have sent her Cadbury buttons on Valentine's Day. Only Derek Morgan would do something perfect like that.

**THE END**


	60. Be My Valentine

Note- this fic is set to the song Teenage Dream. That song is originally done by Katy Perry but there is a very sweet version of it by a male band called Boyce Avenue. There is a Morgan and Garcia mvid to this that uses half the song. To search for that at you tube you must put in 'Morgan Garcia Boyce Avenue'.

**Be My Valentine**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**February 2011**

God, he was so damn happy it was Valentine's Day and that they had caught a case. Things could not have worked out better if he had planned it himself.

It usually sucked to have to work on the holidays. It was one of the hazards of the job and he had gotten pretty used to it by now. The BAU team couldn't take the day off if there was a maniac unsub somewhere in the country that needed their immediate attention.

It still bothered him if he couldn't be in Chicago on Christmas or missed his mother's birthday party but one holiday that it didn't bother him to skip was Valentine's Day. Taking a woman out on that day made her think you wanted more than booty calls.

And he rarely thought of wanting more with any woman he hooked up with so it was best to just ignore Valentine's Day altogether to avoid messy situations and hurt feelings. But not this year.

This year Valentine's Day was finally Derek Morgan's to enjoy.

Strolling into the small room at the Chicago Police Station he smiled at Penelope as she was sitting with her back to him, at her computer. "Garcia, baby girl," he sang out "ain't it a beautiful day?"

"Hmpf!" she cried, spinning around in her chair. "For the minions of Satan perhaps who delight in us love lorn suckers who are lonely on this most romantic of days. But for me? Hmmm. Lets see. No boyfriend for the last six weeks and no Valentine sugar for Garci. No one to give my sweet honey treat too. Stuck in this- I love you but you know its true- tundra of a city in the middle of winter when its about twenty below outside and we're stuck in yet another snow storm so we can't go home now that we're done with the case. No, Derek, its _not _a beautiful day in my neighborhood." She let out an unhappy puff of air.

He had crossed his arms over his chest as he listened to her rant, taking it all in, and now a slow smile spread on his lips. He cupped her chin with his hand and wagged his head at her. "Well, then, aren't you a lucky girl because I just happen to have a proposition for you and your holiday honey."

Her eyes searched his. "Speak and be acknowledged."

He chuckled and moved back. "You and me, you sexy thing you, are going to get you all packed up and then we're gonna tell the rest of them that they can fend for themselves for dinner tonight because we have plans to hit this town for a little baby girl and her Hot Stuff time."

"Aw," she murmured, her eyes growing soft. "You are a true prince among mere mortal men but are you sure because I bet every restaurant will be booked solid tonight because of the holiday."

"You let me worry about that. I have my ways. You just worry about putting a smile on those pouting lips."

She stood up, moved very close to him, until her hands rested flat on his chest (making his heart rate speed up like he was a high school kid again) and then looked up and into his eyes. A smile formed on her red painted mouth. She kissed his cheek and whispered something in French.

He had no idea what she said but to his way of thinking it was _This night will be all you want and more_.

Derek helped Penelope pack up her office, while they both wore small smiles and teased each other about who was more lucky to get the spend this holiday with the other one. All day long he had been thinking about how great it was that Penelope happened to come along with them on this case, since it fell during this holiday, and how he needed to make the most of it.

And he sure planned to do that. This would be the one Valentine's Day he never had to look back on with regrets.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rossi had called in a favor and gotten them a booth at a cozy, dark Italian restaurant downtown. They stayed there late into the night, long after they had finished dinner and dessert, just cuddled together in the booth, drinking wine and chatting.

If this wasn't love then Derek didn't know what love could feel like. If she wasn't the one then he had no clue who the one could be or how he could feel better than this with some other woman. Penelope was all he needed, all he loved, all he adored, all he wanted.

She was heaven on earth to him.

(_I think you're pretty, without any make up on._.

_I think you're funny, when you tell the punchline wrong._

_I knew you got me, when you let your walls come down...down._

xxxxxxxxx

_Before you met me_

_I was allright but things were kinda heavy._

_You brought me to life._

_Now every February you'll be my Valentine...Valentine_)

In a sweet tone, while her hand caressed his cheek, she said "I do believe this is the uber nicest Valentine's dinner I've ever had."

In a deep, husky voice he answered "Well, Penelope, I'm glad. That was the idea."

She smiled happily at him. He could almost see in her eyes the way her heart soared when he said something loving to her. And that made his own heart soar in response.

"Maybe we should get out of here. I think they want to close down."

"Hey, hey, hey, woman, not so fast." He reached for the wine. "We need to finish this." He smiled at her as he poured. "One more glass, baby, okay?"

She perked up again. "Okay," she cooed out.

Moving very close to her lips he flirted "Thank you very, very much."

"Anytime you want to ply me with wine to lower my defenses feel free. Though I'll let you know a little secret." She paused for effect and then spoke in a stage whisper "Dropping your boxer's would work faster and better, fyi."

He chuckled as shivers coursed through him at the suggestion. "Behave."

(_Lets just talk all through the night._

_There's no need to rush._

_We can dance until we die._

_You and I will be young forever.)_

She picked up her glass, her eyelids heavy as she gazed at him from under them, and then took a sip. "I have a good feeling this is gonna be the year."

He cleared his throat and straightened. His palms started to sweat. His voice was even deeper. "The year?"

Just getting those words out were an effort. He had plans...so many plans...but she always flipped his plans on their head and Derek didn't know if what she said next would be all he had been waiting for or crush his plans once more.

"Mmm-hmmm," she teased softly, sipping her red wine again.

He sat back in the booth, staring deep in her eyes, growing amused. "The year for what?"

"Everything good."

"Well that sounds good." A pause. "About time."

Just then a waiter came up and offered them more free dessert. They insisted they were full and about to leave but he insisted they take it. Penelope lifted the pastry and fed it to Derek.

"Happy Valentine's Day, handsome."

He swallowed his bite and stopped her from taking a bite herself. He fed it to her. "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart."

She reached out and held his hand. Something in his chest that had been frozen in fear for most of his life broke open unexpectedly then and he finally felt that things were going to work out okay for him.

(_My heart stops when you look at me._

_Just one touch- now, baby, I believe_

_this is real._

_So take a chance and don't ever look back._

_Don't ever..._

_xxxxxxxxx_

_I'm gonna get your heart racing_

_if that's what you need_

_in this teenage dream tonight._

_xxxxxxxxx_

_Let you rest your head on me_

_if that's what you need_

_in this teenage dream tonight, tonight, tonight_.)

"Come on, baby girl, time to call it a night."

He saw just a little disappointment slip into her eyes but she fought past it and smiled sweetly at him. "A lovely night it was too."

"Yes, it was," he sang the words softly.

They stood and he slipped her coat on her. They walked toward the doors of the restaurant. Derek stopped there, in the deserted foyer area and gathered her in his arms.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she looked up and into his eyes. The sound she made was half questioning, half longing.

He smiled softly as her eyes held him prisoner, grounded him to the earth and her and his future. "I think we have unfinished business. What do you think?" His eyes searched hers.

A part of him knew she wanted more with him, a part of him was scared he was fooling himself and he knew he'd feel that way until she told a preacher she'd be Derek's for the rest of her life.

After a long moment she seemed to calm in his arms, her shaky breath steadying a bit and her shaking body pressing closer to his, "I think we need to write a proper end for this story."

"Oh, no, no, no, woman, that comes much, much later."

She smiled as her eyes filled with a happy lightness. "Okay so we'll leave the ending for some day long in the future...and tonight we'll just have what we both want most. How does that compromise sound to you?"

"What do you want most?" the question popped out, one he needed to hear the answer to aloud more than he had even realized till that moment.

"You," she said, simply. "Always you." A pause. "What do you want most, De-"

His lips slammed against hers, as he bent his knees and at the same time pulled her even more flush against him. Heat swirled through him and around them, surrounding them, as he kissed and kissed and kissed her until they heard a man clear his throat.

They reluctantly separated, feeling dazed, and looked over to see the maitre'd with a set of keys. "We really do need to lock up now. Happy Valentine's day to you, both. I can see you've really enjoyed it. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you!" Penelope chirped, flushed, happy and also looking a little loopy.

Derek led her from the restaurant with his arm around her waist. They shared more short kisses as they walked down the block and then through the parking lot.

Yes, he loved this holiday. And he wouldn't mind working it every year if Penelope came along on that case.

(_You make me feel_

_like I'm living a teenage dream_

_the way you turn me on._

_I can't sleep._

_Lets run away and don't ever look back._

_Don't ever look back_) (Boyce Avenue)

THE END


	61. So Over You

This story is heavy on exposition for the first few chapters (meaning it has no dialogue). Its dedicated to sangreal7.

**So Over You**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Chapter One**

**July 2011**

When he saw her walking down the aisle at the wedding, it hit him like a thunderbolt. How foolish he had been. How much of a liar he truly was. How he had needed to believe he didn't want her anymore so he could stay sane but of course he still wanted her. Always had and probably always would.

Wanting her was as natural as breathing for this man.

Look at her, how could he not desire her? She's beautiful in every way. As bright as sunshine in a dark, dirty world that is not good enough for a precious heart and kind soul like her.

Seeing her walk towards him, as he stood there with the other guests, it struck him how she grew more and more breathtaking everyday. When he was a young man he had bought into the theory that sexy college girls would always be the hottest thing in the world, but he hadn't known a thing about how a woman can grow into her beauty as the years go on.

Each year made Penelope Garcia even more gorgeous in Derek Morgan's eyes.

Today, she was exceptionally so. The prettiest woman at this wedding by far, at least as far as he was concerned. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked nearer to him and when she passed him, her eyes flickered to him and held for a short moment, her smile growing a little bigger in that second.

Through the whole ceremony he stared just at her.

As the vows were spoken her eyes welled with tears. Derek wished he could go up there to wipe them away. For a moment, her gaze found his. He comforted as best he could with just a look, knowing there was joy and pain behind her crying.

His own soul was tearing itself to shreds, while the seconds of this wedding ticked on.

Derek had told himself he was done with wanting her, done with lusting and longing, done with hoping and dreaming and praying for another chance. Since the day he came to that bitter conclusion he had been tempted to change his mind so many times but it would be pointless to do so because she liked them as just flirty friends. She was satisfied with them just like they were and wanted nothing more for them.

Morgan felt idiotic for being so hurt that she had no desire left to go further with him.

Too old to have a crush, too young to give up on love, that was the situation he had found himself in while she dated Kevin Lynch. The years went by and each day it only became more pathetic that he still couldn't find anything like what she had with her boyfriend for himself. He still compared all his dates to her.

It was a knock down, drag out fight in his heart to move on from Penelope.

He had finally started to do it with Tamara, and continued with a few women after Tamara, each relationship lasting a few months here and a few months there. He gave himself credit for trying, permission to be happy with someone other than Penelope.

It worked somewhat, as his life got better for his efforts. Their friendship grew stronger also. Thank God for that because he had needed her badly when things got grim around them.

During the darkest of times, Derek and Penelope got each other through the pain. He knew he wouldn't have leaned on her like that if he hadn't come to terms with the fact she was outside of his grasp for good now. It would have been too hard to lean on her if he still was holding in with every breath what he really wanted to say.

Never again did he want to go back to the time when he was so crazy for her he couldn't even smile at her for fear of revealing himself, or worry he would snap and scream at her that she couldn't be so blind as to not see what she was doing to him. Not wanting to do either, he had carefully couched every look for over a year just to be sure his gaze gave nothing away.

No, that wasn't a time he could stand to repeat again. Loving her that hard had nearly killed his sanity, sending him back to a dark place he knew he could drown in if he stayed there long enough.

Yet staring at her as she stood up at the alter Derek Morgan knew it wasn't a choice he could make- whether to ache for her love with all his heart or not. He was powerless to the flood of emotions taking him over today.

As the bride said "I do," Derek's eyes closed for a brief moment and he imagined Penelope saying those words to him.

Soon everyone on the beach was clapping for the newly married bride and groom and then the wedding party started back down the aisle. Derek briefly caught Penelope's eyes again.

Once she moved past him, he let out the breath he had been holding and glanced down, while thinking_ I'm supposed to be so over you_.


	62. So Over You 2

**So Over You**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Chapter Two**

**July 2011**

Her kleenex was a ragged mess. Penelope had cried her way through the ceremony, both because it was beautiful and she was happy and also because it made her think too much.

The wedding preparations had brought up a ton of emotions for her. She missed Emily even more as her and JJ went shopping for dresses. Emily should have been a bridesmaid too. And she missed her own mother and step father. She wished her mother could have lived to see Penelope get married, if that day should ever come.

Seeing JJ finally marry Will had also left Penelope feeling like an old maid who would never have a day like this to call her own, a husband to sleep curled up to every night, a child who had the love of her life's eyes. Penelope had broken up with Kevin Lynch months before, knowing that what they had was good but it wasn't enough for her anymore. It wasn't everything a love should be. She wanted more for herself but there were so many days when Penelope wondered if she had made a huge mistake.

Today was one of them. She couldn't imagine ever ending up married when she was currently stuck in a cycle of having bad date after bad date left and right these days. Penelope had feared this very thing would happen when she had ended her relationship with Kevin. Because its what had always happened before she ever dated Kevin. No guy really took her breath away who she actually dated. She waited for them to grow on her and her to grow on them but nothing really clicked.

Still she had hoped that things would be different now. She was different now. Older and more confident. More aware that she couldn't sit back and let life happen to her. She had to go out and make something amazing happen. And she was trying.

But she was still alone and lonely. She didn't even have a real date for this wedding. She was here with her co-worker Spencer Reid as her escort. Most of her other co-workers all had real dates: Rossi was with a pretty blonde who he met at a writer's conference, Hotch was with a lady that his sister-in-law Jessica had set him up with early this summer and things were still going well between them, and Seaver had brought a man she knew at the FBI academy. Derek was supposed to bring his latest quasi girlfriend but things had gone rocky with them just the other night.

That didn't surprise Penelope any. Derek broke up with more women than most men met in their whole lives. The fact that Derek also couldn't find love didn't comfort her any. In this case, misery did not love company. She wished he could have someone he was crazy about loving him right. But it looked like it wouldn't happen for him either.

They were both just hopeless at romance, sadly.

No wonder they had never done anything about all their chemistry. Neither had a lick of luck at love! Together they were doubly unlucky.

The ceremony and reception were extremely bittersweet for Penelope. Every happy emotion in her was chased by a sad one. She tried to not think about herself, to focus on JJ in her beautiful gown who was so brave to finally take this step, but it was impossible to keep Penelope's thoughts from drifting back to her own sorry love life. Especially when she looked over and met Derek's eyes, just as the preacher was saying the vows. In his gaze was so much powerful emotion that she quickly looked away again, letting out a shuddering breath, discreetly using her kleenex to wipe at her tear stained face.

She was relieved when the dancing started, giving her a distraction from her own thoughts. Thoughts she didn't want to even think- about spending her life without any special love to call her own- but they kept tormenting her as she looked at the happy, newly married couple who both glowed from their mutual joy.

As the maid of honor she had to dance with the best man, who was Will's childhood friend from New Orleans. Tanner was a real southern gentleman, a little paunchy around the guy but otherwise handsome with his dark hair and eyes, and perfect bright white smile. He chatted her up and she did her best to stay cheerful till the dance ended.

Then she made her escape to the bathroom to touch up her make-up and hair before she went to get a drink. She surely needed something strong to help her keep grinning at this point. There was no way Penelope wanted to be appear anything but happy for JJ and happy to be here. Otherwise she'd become an object of pity by everyone who knew she'd recently got out of a long term relationship.

And pity is the last thing she wanted anyone to feel for her. So she wouldn't pity herself- and the life of solitude she might have. No she would smile and remember it was her who broke things off with Kevin. She had known she needed something different than him for her future.

_I'll find my uber happy ever after,_ she told herself as she approached the bar, _one of these days..._


	63. So Over You 3

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Chapter Three**

**July 2011**

Derek Morgan was great at plastering a fake smile on his face. He learned that trait young and it had served him well over the years. He sat at JJ's wedding smiling through the dinner, toasts and the start to dancing.

Penelope was seated at the head table and Derek found himself watching her often, dragging his attention away from the rest of the people at his table. She looked lovely this evening- breath taking really- and he found himself completely taken with her all over again.

Not that he was happy about this rush of overwhelming emotion that was coursing through him ever since seeing her walk down the aisle today. He had been fine around her for so long now. They were the best of friends and all that other painful stuff had been pushed down somewhere in him, a place he didn't let hurt him on a daily basis. At the joint bachelor and bachelorette party last weekend they had a great time drinking, flirting, hooting and hollering at the burlesque show in Atlantic City. Sure there was some underlying steam there between them that night but that was the usual for them.

He certainly hadn't been about to cry in his beer that night!

This wedding was just getting to him. He had been tight with JJ for nearly a decade. It was like seeing a sister of his finally commit to her life partner after years of ups and downs together. The fact that Emily's death is what had prompted JJ to bring up marriage once again to Will- to tell him yes after saying no for so long- made it that much more emotional too. The ceremony was beautiful and it felt like Emily's presence was here, surrounding them all with her wish that they find love and happiness, something Emily herself never had much of in her life.

Derek had spent so long trying to convince himself that his feelings for Penelope had come and passed that he had almost bought it himself. Believing that is how he had gotten through day after day for so long now.

But the illusion shattered the moment she took her first step down that aisle today. He hadn't seen her before the ceremony and the image of her in a light yellow bridesmaid gown with her halo of blonde curls framing her pretty face, flowers in hand, had been too much for him. He was just a man after all.

It was the closest he had ever seen to her looking like a bride coming down the aisle towards him, and in that moment he knew that his heart hadn't really ever let the dream of loving her go. He just had let his head believe it because it relieved him of the pain of longing for her while she was a taken woman.

Now she was single again. Derek could tell though that she had no interest in him beyond friends. If she did then she wouldn't be dating every guy she bumped into but him. They barely had time for their movie nights and chatty weekend phone calls these days. She was looking for love all over...and never once glancing in his direction for it, not unless she was simply teasing.

Teasing. She did that often and he was the idiot who lapped up every word.

"Morgan," Rossi's voice interrupted Derek's thoughts, as Derek had been watching the dance floor but not really seeing the people there.

"Hmm, yeah?"

"Looks like Garcia could use a drink." Rossi nodded toward the bar area. The wedding was held at a hotel located on the beach, with the ceremony and reception outside.

Watching as Penelope tried to get the bartender's attention to no avail in the large crowd, Derek smiled slightly and headed over there.

Clearing his throat, as he came up behind her, he spoke in a warm, throaty tone "Baby girl."

She slowly turned, her red rimmed eyes settling on him and growing soft with tenderness. "Hello, handsome man."

He lifted her hand, holding it to the side, and raked his eyes up and down her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, look at this stunner."

"Why thank you, kind sir. I think this color kinda washes me out though."

"Hush. Nonsense. You're looking mighty fine right now. You better be careful, woman, or else you're gonna outshine the bride tonight and I'll have to spank you for that."

She chuckled.

He moved to the bar and, with his deeper and more booming voice, got the bartender's attention, ordering them two drinks. He handed hers to Penelope. "I hope this is what you were in the mood for..."

She ran her hand down his chest. "Not exactly but it will do."


	64. So Over You 4

**Over You**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Chapter Four**

**July 2011**

Derek lost his breath and train of thought.

That always happened when she caressed his chest and turned her sultry voice on him- even on days when he had wasted his time pretending she was just his hot friend who he liked to flirt with for the fun of it. But there was so much more there.

In a world full of woman who were beautiful and special, in their own ways, only Penelope Garcia made Derek Morgan lose his game, get tongue tied and confused, too nervous to act, too shy to confess.

She was a weakness he had tried to run from over and over again, tried to deny, claimed he was so over her for good and the last time he wanted her as his lover had been the last time. He had tried to believe that was all true.

Now he had to admit it had all been a bed a lies that he lay in for years. Lies to her, his family and friends and, worse of all, to himself. And the lies would continue.

They had to because she just didn't see him as anything more than friend. That was something he was completely sure about. If there was a slightest chance she wanted more then he would gather his courage and ask her for a real and proper date. She didn't want him that way though.

Penelope was content with how things were and Derek knew he just had to forget about the feelings that were churned up during the ceremony and go back to being content too. He could do it. He'd fought this kind of war inside of himself before.

He could convince himself he was happy, just like she was. Standing there, staring in her eyes, he just felt lost though. Lost to all the emotions he couldn't control, no matter how desperate he was to love her back in just the way she wanted and needed, instead of the way he desired.

If only he knew how to do that. If only tonight was already over so he could get a breather from these overwhelming emotions. He needed space from her, from this wedding, from knowing how alone his life was and would stay.

There was no space to be found yet though. For now he had to laugh softly at her flirty words and give her a sweet smile, playing along like he always did and always would.

They both sipped their drinks before Penelope looked up at the night sky. "It's a nice night. Clear sky and the heat of this afternoon has finally broken."

"Would you like to take a walk?"

She gave him a surprised, but touched look, before slipping her arm through his. "Don't you know I'd follow you anywhere? Lead the way."

Heading away from the patio area they leaned against each other, not feeling the need to speak for long minutes. Morgan carried Garcia's heels and they made their way far from the reception, finally he put his suit jacket down for her to sit on. Her head rested on his shoulder, he intertwined their fingers.

Derek broke the silence. "The ceremony was beautiful." He gave her a smile. "Did I see some tears escaping those pretty eyes?"

"Only buckets full. It was so romantic, wasn't it, baby?"

"Yeah."

Their eyes locked and held.

Penelope whispered "I've always wanted a truly magical moment all my own but Garci never got that lucky before."

"Don't worry. You'll get your moment one of these days. It'll come along probably when you least expect it."

Though it would feel like it was killing him and break his heart to see her so happy with another man, Derek wouldn't wish away her happiness just because it was sure to bring him a fresh onslaught of pain. She deserved a romantic moment to remember all her life where she felt loved and like the queen of some man's heart.

Penelope was still staring deep in his eyes. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. She said "I've had it with sitting back and waiting for it to come along."

"Is that right, mama? Not feeling too patient anymore, huh? Don't think I can help you there. Love comes on its own timetable."

"See, I've always believed that too. Look at us, simpatico in the thinking department, but it feels like cupid is sleeping on the job and I just don't think I can put my fate in that fat baby's hands anymore."

Derek chuckled. "So what do you plan to do about it, huh, Miss Thing? You're been dating like a mad woman already. Maybe you just need to step back and let love come to you."

"Been there, done that, so over it."

He couldn't help smiling. She was so silly.

The last thing Derek wanted was Penelope to rush off to search for her next lover with renewed vigor but he knew he had to accept that she would because she didn't see him as anything more than her friend. He'd tried too many times to change that. It wasn't something Penelope could control. She felt like she felt and Derek had to live with. And he would do it the best he could.

"So what you gonna do to make cupid get his ass in gear?" Derek asked Penelope, amused by her feeling as bad about love as he was. Even though she was the cause of his heartbreak he had long ago stopped blaming her for not returning his deeper affection. She was too sweet and wonderful to blame for something she couldn't help.

Her fingers walked up his chest, which always made him gasp and watch her hand. She smirked as she said "That's where you come in."

"Hmmm, how's that?" Slowly his eyes rose to hold hers.

"We'd be so good together. Perfect really, don't you agree?"

"Ain't we perfect already? I remember you telling me we were a while back. Perfect and just how you hope we'll always stay, right?"

"Perfection has degrees, Hot Stuff."

Swallowing hard, he gulped, as his body tensed up.

Before he could think of something back to say she was leaning closer to him, obviously going in for kiss. Not waiting for her mouth to come to him, as she rose a little to stretch toward him, Derek swooped in and took her lips in a powerful kiss, letting all his pent up love flow from him to her, not holding a thing back during what could be the only kiss of his life with his sweetheart.

He kissed her as if his life and love depended on it, his hand holding the side of her face and his other splayed on her back, as his beer was left sitting on the sand. The waves lapping against the shore and the sounds of their soft, guttural moans filled the air.

What felt like strong, hot, live wire electric jolts flared, burned, sizzled and ran through him as Penelope returned his kiss with more passion than Derek had dared to believe she would ever show him.

No matter what happened in the future, he would always have this memory to warm him. The night she had let him kiss her for the first time, not blowing him off, the night she had finally wanted him back.


	65. So Over You 5

**Over You**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Chapter Five**

**July 2011**

Penelope was fueled by a deep longing for a wonderful romantic love of her own, after watching JJ marry Will. It had taken so much bravery for JJ to get past her lifelong fear of commitment and marry the man she had loved for years now.

It made Penelope weep in joy and also pain, for she feared she could never have that for herself. She was lonely, sad, aching to feel loved, and she knew not one of the men who she had dated since breaking up with Kevin fit the bill for what she so desperately wanted to be able to feel tonight.

Derek was the only man she knew who could make her feel close to the kind of exciting, tender, smoking hot, huge and scary, big and crazy feelings she longed to feel, though they were simply friends who flirted and friends who had long ago decided not to cross that line.

Did she fantasize about crossing it daily? Of course! But she figured that he couldn't see her that way since they had been friends over seven years. They were old news to each other now, like a comforting blanket and not a sporty, just off the showcase floor, corvette. She wanted corvette kind of love.

Looking in his eyes, as they sat on the beach, she felt the usual jumble of wanting and needing boil up inside of her that she got when she looked at him. The feelings she always blew off cause she knew she could want him as much as she wanted but it wouldn't get her anywhere.

Tonight though she thought about how Derek's love life sucked like hers. He couldn't find compatibility with anyone he ever met but he had it in spades with her. They had something so good between them, unlike anything she'd ever known with another man, so why couldn't they have more?

The need for love made her bold as she told him, not for the first time in their lives, "We would be so good together," and soon after she went to show him, with a soft and sweet kiss, kinda testing the waters of kicking things up another notch.

Before she could bring her lips to his, she watched as Derek's eyes went from surprised to filled with lust and raw need. He closed the small gap between them, took her in his arms, and kissed her as if he had waited all his life for the chance to do so.

She shivered as they broke apart, her mind fuzzy and body humming, her fingers clutching his shirt.

"Mmm, so good together," Penelope murmured, in a slight daze.

Derek twisted a strand of her hair around his finger and then his hand stroked over her check and throat again before his thumb slipped under her chin to hold her head so that she was forced to meet his gaze. Even though there was only moonlight to illuminate them she could still see how intense his eyes were, how serious and filled with feelings for her.

Her already fast beating heart skipped a few more beats then, fluttering like it hadn't ever before in even her most passionate moments. She had never known a moment quite this powerful and moving. She couldn't remember, in all her life, any man ever looking at her in quite the way Derek was tonight- as if she was his reason for breathing- and if he some man had then it didn't touch her the way it did because it was Derek giving her that look. A look she would forever cherish having seen in his eyes.

"Baby," he cleared his throat "baby girl, you're right. We could be so good together, if we just give ourselves the chance." He leaned over and kissed her another time, slower and softer, before leaning back, breaking the moment, his eyes falling to the sand where he saw his tipped over beer. Lifting the bottle he said, his tone a little nervous, "Looks like I need a refill. Ready to head back?"

"Already? Can't we stay in our own little world for a little while longer?"

Derek turned and met her eyes. Their gaze held for a second before he said "Sure, anything for you."

That night they sat under the stars together, talking quietly about everything but the fact that they had kissed and later walked back to the wedding hand in hand, ready to start taking chances on each other finally.

Just when they had both been sure they were so over each other...is when they went and fell for each other all over again.

THE END


	66. Would You Ever, season six finale tag

This very small ficlet is my idea of what could have turned the finale around for us Morgan and Garcia fans. Remember the last part where Penelope is staring at Hotch as he leaves. The other BAU members have all left the conference room.

In this version Derek is the last to leave (other than Penelope standing there).

**Would You Ever?**  
**Tag to Supply and Demand**

Derek Morgan walked out of the conference room, eager to head home, until he glanced through the window and noticed his very good friend Penelope Garcia staring into the distance with a concerned look on her face. It had been a long ass day for all of them, starting at the crack of dawn with a cryptic "We're having a meeting in an hour to discuss the team's future," message from Hotch.

A message like that could never be a good thing. It had freaked Penelope out and she hadn't been herself all day.

Going back to the door, Derek stood in the doorway and asked "Hey, mama, you coming?"

Her eyes flickered from the window to him. Distractedly she said "Yeah," before turning to gather her papers.

Derek sauntered closer to her, trying to help her get her stuff together so they could go. He needed some sleep desperately and he could tell that Penelope needed a break from this place, at least till nine thirty tommorow morning. Hotch was letting them come in an hour late. They needed and deserved some time off but the cases never stopped. An hour late was a gift and they all knew it.

Penelope was starting to get burned out from the pace of their job, the gore, the stress and strain of everyone always being in danger, and she was still reeling from JJ leaving the team and the death of one of their best friends, Emily Prentiss. Her loss would be one they'd never completely recover from. Still Derek knew Penelope had the strength to get through this hard time. He would be here to help her every step of the way too because that is just how they are to each other. They always relied on each other for support, even when the other was being hard headed and moody, not wanting to take it.

He handed Penelope her papers before rubbing his hurt arm. This job did take a lot out of all of them. Yet this is where they all belonged. Derek believed that one hundred percent.

Suddenly, apropos of nothing, Penelope questioned "Would you ever run away and live on a farm with me if I asked you to?"

"A farm?" He chuckled. Where was this coming from? "Since when do you wanna live on a farm?"

Derek gave her a tender look. He knew this place was getting to her badly lately but a farm, really? Sometimes she could be so adorable. She would shock him with her way of thinking and he couldn't help but laugh at how her mind worked.

Right at this moment she seemed very distracted, as if she was seriously mulling over huge life changing things in her mind. He found it odd she would dream of chucking it all to live on a farm. A tropical island, sure. Or Paris, hell yeah. But a farm? Seriously?

Still he smiled at her. At least until she started talking again, when his expression grew more shut down.

"I don't," she mumbled, speaking quickly. "Kevin wants to. He asked me give up my job and buy a farm with him. Would you ever do something like that?"

"Buy a farm with Lynch? No."

She smirked a little and laid her hand on his chest. "No. Would you run away with me, give this all up, if I asked? Just answer the question, my smoking hot cup of hot chocolate."

He reached up and stroked her chin, staring deep into her eyes. "Penelope, all you gotta do is ask."

She thought for a moment, seeming to come to some conclusion in her mind, before she said "Take me home, Prince Derek. Mama is whooped."

Smiling he wrapped his arm around her back and led her to the door, where she walked out first. Once they were in the hall they wrapped their arms around each other, her head leaning against him, and they made their way out of the office.

Penelope told him "I don't wanna live on a farm."

He chuckled. "No, really?"


	67. The Dream That One Day

**The Dream That One Day**

**Morgan and Garcia **

**June 2011**

The moment seemed to freeze, as his words caught in his throat, his casual conversation to his boss forgotten as his eyes glimpsed the paper on Hotch's desk.

"Garcia is transferring?" Derek Morgan asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion, his body stock still in shock.

Hotch gave him a steady look. "Apparently."

Derek could barely remember making the walk to her office- his thoughts and feelings incoherent even to himself. He could handle any unsub he came up against, getting into this zone in his head where he was calm and collected, but he couldn't handle stuff like this very well at all.

This kinda of stuff just left him feeling leveled- like a bulldozer had run him over.

_(I could hardly believe it_

_when I heard the news today._

_I had to come and get it straight from you._

_-x-x_

_They said you were leaving._

_Someone had swept your heart away._

_From the look upon your face_

_I see its true_.) (How Am I Supposed to Live Without You by Michael Bolton)

"You're leaving?"

Her lovely face lit up in the loveliest of smiles. "Kevin is my prince charming and he wants to take me away to live happily ever after. He asked me to marry him and move to a farm right outside of Kansas City." She showed off the a diamond engagement ring. "I always knew he was the one." A moment later she asked "What's the matter? Aren't you happy for me?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'm just surprised, that's all. This is coming out of nowhere."

"I've been with him for over three years. I can't believe all my dreams are finally coming true. I feel like I'm walking on air, handsome."

"That's great, Garcia. So when is the big day?"

(_So tell me all about it._

_Tell me about the plans you're making._

_-x-x_

_Tell me one thing more before I go._

_Tell me how am I supposed to live without you_?)

"We want to do it right away. Kevin's mom is gonna help me plan the whole thing."

Derek stood there nodding his head and smiling at all the right moments, swallowing down the lump in his throat and the ignoring the pain in his chest. He couldn't let her see how this was killing him.

(_No time for crying._

_Didn't come here to break down._

_Its just a dream of mine is coming to an end._

_-x-x_

_How can I blame you_

_when I built my world around_

_the hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends_?)

He listened to her babble on, as she walked around her office waving her arms, telling him all the things she wanted in her perfect wedding.

"And, of course, my handsome man, the day would not be complete without Derek Morgan in a tux standing up there with me. Every woman should be so lucky to have one of you on her wedding day to make sure the pictures have at least one handsome stud in them."

He chuckled, with tears stinging his eyes, while averting his gaze from her. It was too hard to look at her so happy and know that it was another man who she'd spend the rest of her life sleeping next to. That the second chance Derek had dreamed about just wasn't coming around.

(_I don't wanna know the price_

_I'm gonna pay for dreaming._

_Even now its more than I can take._

_-x-x_

_Tell me how am I supposed to live without you?_

_Now that I've been loving you so long._

_How am I supposed to live without you?_

_And how am I supposed to carry on_

_when all I've been living for is gone?_)

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The alarm going off knocked Derek out of his sleep. He groaned, reaching for it he grabbed the offensive object and ripped it out of the wall, tossing it across the room.

His head was throbbing and his mouth felt like something had died in it. He was getting too old for going on a bender on a work night but yesterday he had needed it.

Pushing himself up on his elbows he squinted when the bright sunlight hit his eyes. Last night was a total blur and his dreams had all been nightmares filled with Garcia. Then it hit him- a foggy, half memory that he wasn't sure if it was from his dream or not. It felt like a dream but right at that moment, hung over and miserable, thinking of all her prattling on lately about Lynch, he really wasn't sure what was real and what was just his horrible nightmare.

Dragging himself out of bed he stumbled to the bathroom, feeling every bit his age, and even more depressed than when he was downing those drinks at the bar the night before. Garcia had been talking a lot lately about her and Lynch, about their future, about what he wanted for them.

Even if Derek had just dreamed that they were engaged (as his head cleared he realized that yes, that had just been a bad dream) it didn't matter. That nightmare was gonna be reality sooner or later. Sooner probably.

He groaned as the shower spray hit him. Today was gonna be another bad one, he could feel it already.

(_Now I don't wanna know_

_the price I'm gonna pay for dreaming._

_Now that your dream has come true._

_-x-x-_

_Tell me how am I supposed to live without you_

_now that I've been loving you so long?_

_How am I supposed to live without you?_

_How am I supposed to carry on?_

_When all that I've been living for...is gone_.)

A couple of hours later he strolled off the elevator and into the BAU. Garcia happened to be walking by, holding some files.

"Morning, princess," he said, before giving her a closer look and noticing she looked very weary. "Hey, everything okay?"

"No worries, my love. Mama just had a rough night last night. I broke up with Kevin. I realized we just want different things and he's never gonna be the one."

Derek swooped Penelope into his arms, hugging her tightly. She let out a strangled, surprised sound.

He moved back a little, keeping her in his arms, reaching up to stroke her hair away from her face.

"Sorry," Derek murmured, staring at her lovingly. "What can I say? I always thought you could do better."

"There's nothing wrong with Kevin!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that. I just mean...all I mean is...I'm glad he's not gonna talk you into transferring out west and living on a farm. I'd miss my girl around here."

She softened. "Derek Morgan, do you really think I'd ever deprive myself the pleasure of seeing you just as much as I can?" She stepped back then gave him a sexy once over, admiring his body as if she wanted to lick him from head to toe very, very slowly. "My mama didn't raise no fool."

As Penelope sashayed away Derek was left there with a little grin playing on his lips, knowing there was now at least a chance that his dreams would come true after all.

Maybe one day they would be so much more than friends.

**THE END**


	68. Vegas 1

Happy Birthday, Fanatical Writer!

This story is inspired by the Katy Perry song "Waking Up in Vegas" and has the pairings of Morgan/Garcia and Reid/Prentiss. It takes place at the end of season seven, May 2012. This fic has sex but it is not graphic.

There is an mvid to this song with the criminal minds cast at you tube.

**Vegas**

**Part One**

"Hell yes," Derek Morgan said, with a big grin, "thank you Hurricane Rita!"

The weather on the east coast had closed down the airports out there, making it so the team had to stay in Las Vegas an extra night.

Emily took a big step away from Derek. "I don't wanna be too near you when you get struck by lightening for that comment."

"Oh, please, don't you know that God loves him some Derek Morgan?" he asked, waggling his head at her before looking over at Penelope. "You and me are gonna tear up this town tonight."

"No can do, my love," she told him with a teasing smile playing on her lips, as her fingers danced down his chest.

Little did she know that always made him hard. Or maybe she did know. Derek wouldn't put it past that little minx to do it all these years on purpose cause she noticed it left him struck speechless for a few moments as he fought the natural urge to not cross the line from friends to lovers.

"Girls night," Prentiss said to Morgan, with a smirk on her face, delighting in stealing away his favorite playmate from him.

"All right then," he answered, shaking his head at Penelope, with his eyebrows both raised. "Be that way then."

Penelope chuckled. "Don't pout. There is always next time. I've always wanted to see the inside of one of those little white chapels they have all over out here. You'll just have to bring me back some time."

He chuckled. "Not me, baby. Only drunk idiots get hitched in Vegas."

"That's not true at all," Reid chimed in before giving them a two minute monologue on the statistics of who gets married in Sin City.

Derek put his hand up to Reid's mouth. "Stop," he dragged out the word. "No more of that tonight. We're hitting a club and you're gonna shake what your mama gave you." Derek danced around Reid, while rapping a song. "Shake it fast. Watch yourself. Shake it fast. Show me what you're working with."

Reid squirmed away. "Stop that. People are staring. They think we're together or something."

Derek ruffled Reid's hair. "Aw, poor baby. All right, I'll chill but if you don't loosen up tonight I will be right back all up in your grill."

"My grill? I don't own a grill. I don't even have a balcony. Only a fire escape."

Derek rolled his eyes and let out a dramatic sigh.

Penelope said "Well, you two sexy and brilliant babes, have the time of your lives tonight. I know I plan to." She started to sashay away.

Prentiss asked Reid, just to rib Derek, "Hey, what are the statistics on one night stand hook ups while on vacation?"

"1 in 15 people will engage in a random sexual encounter while on vacation during their lifetime."

"That sounds about right. Who don't love some vacation nookie? Garcia and me are gonna find ourselves some willing participants to get us in the 1 in 15 club."

"Hush, Prentiss," Derek told her "ain't no one hooking up tonight. Remember the buddy system!"

Emily just laughed as she walked away, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll keep that at the top of my list...not."

XXXXXXXXX

"Too bad JJ is sick," Prentiss said, as she sipped her fruity drink. "She could use a break. How often does she get a night out these days?"

"I know. Poor honey. The wedding plans are sucking the very life out of my sweet girl. She's exhausted and stressed to the max. She could have really used to cut loose tonight."

They were in a very loud club filled with people dressed wildly. Penelope was having fun just watching the sexy people grinding against each other- man on woman, woman on woman and man on man. But a small part of her did mess her Hot Stuff and wished that Prentiss wouldn't have asked her to make tonight girls only.

It was probably watching all these hot people dressed in skimpy clothes dry humping each other that was making her so overheated and wishing her flirting partner was around to relieve some of her pent up sexual tension. She was in the prime of her sexual life and had been single for the last year.

Other than hanging out with Morgan and some cuddling there was a real lack of male attention in Garcia's life lately. She knew she was putting out a "Stay back!" vibe to all men because she was hesitant to get into another messed up, unsatisfying relationship.

Instead she was back to getting by with just the sexual release of flirting with her fake boyfriend. It was fun but often she longed for more.

Maybe tonight would be a good night to find some stud to scratch her itch. Of course, no stud around here, no matter how studly he was, could compare to her Derek...

"Ew," Prentiss cried "please tell me you are not having yet another dirty little fantasy about Morgan."

"Who? Me?"

"I know that look. Come on now. Forget him for a few hours. I bet he's got some sexy little thang on his jock right now. You so need to put some distance between yourself and him. Or just do him already and find out if he's worth all this drama."

"What drama?"

Emily rolled her eyes and took a huge sip of her drink. "There is not enough alcohol in the world to make answering that question not a downer. Anyway..." she dragged out the last word, looking all around until her eyes locked on a couple guys at a table alone "how about them? Wanna make some new friends tonight?"

Just then one of the guys leaned over and kissed the other one.

"Or not," Emily said.

Penelope got a photo sent to her phone. She laughed when she saw Reid on a dance floor doing some kind of odd snake motion. Derek sent a text with the name of the club and some gooey words about missing his buttercup baby.

She stood up and grabbed her purse. "Down that drink, EP. We got a show to see."

"A show? Like what? That all male stripping one?"

Penelope showed Prentiss the picture. Emily chuckled. "Oh yeah, I gotta see that in person. Lets just hope he isn't pooped out by the time we make it there. That looks strenuous. I had no idea Reid was so flexible."

"Flexible can be a very good thing in certain situations," Penelope said, with a sexy chuckle as they made their way out of the club and into a cab.

Emily chuckled. "Mmm, yeah, I have a vague recollections of being in one of those situations a long time ago. God, I need to get some...bad."

"We're too old for sex with a stranger."

"Well I don't know anyone who wants to have sex with me so its gonna have to be a stranger or else I ain't getting none anytime soon."

The cab driver leered at them in his mirror.

"Isn't there anyone at all you know who've you've ever imagined getting between your sheets and letting him pound you into submission?"

A far away look came into Emily's eyes. "Nope. No one."

"I may not be a profiler but I know bull crap when I hear it. Besides I remember a few years ago when you were drunk at Rossi's New Year's Eve party and you said..."

"I was wasted out of my mind that night. That doesn't count."

"Graphic descriptions of sucking your friends big, wet pants snake always count."

"Pants snake?" Emily bursted out laughing, a little tipsy, horny and sad all at the same time. "It was a momentary impulse. It passed. And please don't ever say pants snake again."

"Donkey sized dong work better for you?"

"Garcia! Stop!" Emily cried, still laughing so hard she was practically crying.

"He's so tall. I bet he's proportional too. Come on. Don't you wanna get a little slurp?"

"Oh my God, stop, stop," Emily said, still laughing, but also imagining what Garcia was describing. But way too much had happened to her in the last two years to be carefree and hot for her co-worker anymore. She had spent the last year going through so much pain. Only lately was she even starting to feel like herself again.

And starting to want to open herself up to someone. Not come home to an empty apartment for the rest of her life.

Dr. Spencer Reid had once been her secret orgasm maker, at least in her mind every night. But she couldn't really hit on him now, could she?

Her heart pounded hard from laughing and fantasizing about sex acts that would probably never happen. Did she really just think probably?

Probably was a short leap from maybe and maybe was just a sidestep from possible. Was it possible?

Mmmm, just the thought of it made her mouth water.


	69. Vegas 2

**Vegas**

**Part 2**

When Penelope and Emily finally located Derek and Spencer in the club the men were sitting at a table with a couple of woman. Spencer looked red faced and Derek was being his usual charming self.

The women seemed to be eating it up with a spoon.

"Oh no," Penelope trilled out as she walked up to the table "do not tell me that I'm too late for the Dr. Reid Dancing Hour. Come on, genius stud, get up and show mama your moves."

"I'm wiped out," Reid said "Dancing burns up to 500 calories an hour for the typical male who is my weight and I skipped lunch today." He sipped his soft drink through a straw, to get back some calories and energy.

Derek had changed his whole demeanor when he spotted Penelope there. His arm slid off the back of the booth away from the woman next to him and he straightened up, his eyes only on Penelope.

"There's my girl," he murmured. "So you missed your man and decided to join us after all, huh?"

"My love, I always miss you when we are parted but I'm just here to capture video of Reid getting down and dirty for my blog."

Reid's face got even redder. "Sorry but I'm done for the night."

One of the women there said "But you promised me a dance, Reidy."

"Reidy?" Emily mocked, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Reidy," Morgan mocked "get out there and give the ladies a thrill."

"Um, no thanks. My knee is kinda sore now." He looked at the woman next to him. "Old work injury."

Morgan flashed a big smile, as he effortlessly pulled Penelope down to sit on his knee. "Yeah, Reid is a big hero in the beaura. But we can't really talk about that. Its top secret on the down low."

Now the lady next to Derek was shooting Penelope death glances. She noticed and introduced herself "Hi, there, I'm Penelope Garcia. I am the lucky woman who gets to work with these two studs. We both do actually," she said, nodding at Emily, who had pulled up a chair.

Derek made some introductions. The two women teachers from Sioux Falls. A few minutes of Derek whispering dirty things in Penelope's ear, while running his hand in a lazy fashion over her knee and thigh, and the two women left in a huff. The one who had a thing for Reid passed him her key.

When she was gone he held it up "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Derek laughed. "The fact that you have ever gotten any booty in all your life still amazes me. I'm gonna have to see affidavits to believe it."

Reid threw Derek a dirty look.

Penelope asked "Haven't you ever heard it's the quiet ones you gotta watch out for?"

"Yeah," Derek joked "That's on page one of the manual they give field agents during training."

Penelope rubbed Derek's chest. "You big, muscular man, you better be nice or else I can leave as quick as I came."

He growled. "Don't you dare, woman. Now that I got you here you are mine for the night."

"Ohhhhhhh, I like the sound of that." Then she whispered some dirty things in his ear that left him panting.

Emily groaned. "Before this turns into a live porn show I'm going to get me a drink."

She started to walk away when Reid hurried to his feet and said "Wait up," eager to get away from flirting Morgan and Garcia, who were both a little drunk and getting friskier by the minute. Being in Vegas seemed to give them carte blanch to push their little sexual dance to its limits.

Soon his hand was halfway up her skirt and hers was under his t-shirt as they threw back and forth flirty lines, daring each other to be more bold and see who could turn on the other more. It was a contest that even when one of them lost it still felt like a win.

"Kiss me, baby girl," Derek dared.

Her eyes searched his for a long moment and then she slowly leaned forward and started to suck on his bottom lip. His arms crushed around her and he devoured her mouth in a possessive kiss that suddenly wasn't playing around anymore.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, Reidy," Emily teased, after taking a big swig out of her fourth fruity drink of the night "I didn't know you were much of a dancer."

"I'm not much of one. Or any of one. Morgan insisted. It was...lets just say, I won't be doing that again anytime soon."

"Too bad. I could use a partner."

"Sorry."

"So am I," she drawled out, letting her eyes hold his for a fraction longer than normal before they swept over the many people on the dance floor "you were my first choice but if you insist I guess I'll just go and make some other guy's night. Wow. I haven't hooked up with a stranger in years. Oh, well, I'm sure its just like riding a bike." She took another big drink of her cocktail.

He chuckled. She gave him a raised eyebrow look. He asked "That was a joke, right?"

"I'm in Vegas. I plan to enjoy it, one way or the other. So either help me or get out of my way." She waved at a hulking man who looked like he was steroids.

Reid swallowed hard. He didn't want Emily to find herself in over her head so he told her "I guess...I'll help you out then."

"Wow, don't sound too excited about it."

"No, really. I would like to. Though don't expect a lot from my dancing."

"Don't let me twist your arm."

"You're not. I really would very much like to dance with you."

She chuckled. "I doubt it but okay, have it your way. Just prepare yourself. Out there," she nodded at the dance floor "I take no prisoners."

When they finished their drinks they made it to the floor. Emily took Spencer's hands, placed them on her hips, turned around and started to grind back against him.

He stiffened. "Is this how you normally dance?" He tried to ask over the music but it was too loud and she couldn't hear him so he ended up just going with it.

It felt pretty damn good anyway. His hands stayed planted on her hips, through they longed to roam over her tight, firm body, and they moved to the beat. For once dancing was something Spencer Reid liked.

Especially when Emily turned around with this hot, glazed look in her eyes, grabbed his face and gave him a kiss that curled his toes.


	70. Vegas 3

**Vegas**

**Part 3**

As their kisses grew more intense, while on the dance floor of a club in Vegas, Emily finally broke for air from Reid. Reaching into her back pocket, she slipped out her room key and held it up to him.

"What do you say?" she asked.

His eyebrows shot up. Then his eyes slid down, looking over her body, her skin flushed with desire, before he nodded, took her hand and they left. In the cab he sent Derek a text: Emily isn't feeling well so we are going back to the hotel.

He snuck a peek at Emily next to him. She was nibbling her bottom lip and picking at her nails. He wondered how drunk she was. Taking her hands in his he said "That's not healthy. The cuts you're making could let bacteria into your body."

Lifting her hand he sucked softly at the skin around her thumb's nail. There was no denying he was turned on by the kisses they had been sharing back at the club but he wasn't drinking tonight and she was...it didn't seem right to go further if she might be too intoxicated to really make a good decision.

"Emily-"

As he said her name, she snaked her arms around his neck, pulled him close and took his lips in another kiss, slower and sweeter, before whispering against his mouth "I wanna make you forget your own name."

Mission accomplished already. Her kisses left him completely stunned and willing to do her bidding.

XXXXXXXX

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Derek was vaguely aware of some kind of annoying feeling against his arm as he was lost in kissing Penelope. She was straddling his lap as he sat in a chair at club. His hands were up under her skirt, grabbing handfuls of soft, thick thighs, and her fingernails were scratching lightly over the back of his head and neck, making him moan deeper as their tongues tangled together.

Tap. Tap. Tap. "Errrrr." Cough. Cough. "Hey!"

Derek dragged his lips off Penelope and looked to side to find a bulky security gaurd who said "Look, this ain't that kind of club. You can't have sex in public here. You want that you gotta head on over to The Dungeon."

Penelope jumped off Derek's lap, obviously embarrassed and fixed her clothes. "Kind sir, we were not having any sort of sex! We're just friends! We were just daring each other how far we could go and got a little carried away. You see , I haven't had sex in over a year and my last boyfriend, bless his heart, wasn't very talented in that department and I am kind drunk and when I drink too much I get uber horny. But I didn't come here for that. I just wanted a picture for my blog!"

"Baby girl, baby girl, hush, enough. You don't gotta explain nothing to him."

The security gaurd said "You two are gonna have to leave."

Penelope rushed away. Derek threw a scathing look at the man and chased after her saying "Baby...sweetheart...honey...slow down...Penelope...Garcia, hey, hey, hey..." he caught up to her and stopped her. "That was all my fault. I'm sorry. But, hey, its Vegas, no one knows us here. Its okay."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she declared, looking like she was about to lose her cookies. Derek rushed her outside where the fresh air helped to ease her discomfort.

Her mind was in turmoil. Had she ruined her friendship with Derek by making out with him? She could still practically feel his hardness pressed against her moist g-string. Just how exposed had she been in public? Her thighs burned from the way he had been stroking her.

She hadn't been able to get enough. If the gaurd didn't stop them just how far would they have gone?

"I wanna go home," she told him.

"Okay. Back to the hotel it is, sweetness."

But that hadn't been what she had meant. She wanted to be back in Quantico in the safety of her purple apartment of coziness where she wouldn't be overwhelmed by lust and feelings for a man who was only just her buddy.

XXXXXXXXX

"Emily-" Reid had started to say many times on the way to her hotel room but every time she kissed him and stopped him from suggesting that this might not be that bright of an idea.

Every kiss just made him throb more and more for her. She was drunk off cocktails but he was rapidly getting drunk off her. Still he had his reservations about going into her hotel room. He didn't want her to ever think he had taken advantage of this situation for some quick sex.

That wasn't something a friend would do to another friend.

"Emily, I don't think this is such a good-"he mumbled at her door, but she dragged him inside, unbuttoning his shirt as she kissed him and then it just seemed too late to say maybe they shouldn't.

When she had his shirt off she pushed him onto the bed and kneeled in front of him, pulling off his shoes and socks, before standing up and doing a strip tease to a song he thought she might have made up off the top of her head. He certainly had never heard it before and the lyrics didn't seem very sophisticated. Though they got her point across just fine as she sang, while dropping her clothes to the ground and shimming her hips, "I want you to want me. I need you to need me. I'd love for you to love me. I'm begging you," she leaned forward, her breasts pressed together, as she teased his lips with a barely there kiss "to beg me."

Dropping down to her knees again she took him out of his pants, stroked him and wrapped her mouth around him, leaving him seeing stars after just a couple of minutes. Laying back on the bed, he panted and tried to catch his breath.

No one could tell him any different, Vegas was definitely the best city on earth. Anything could happen here and often did. God, he would like to stay in Vegas with Emily- the version of her that gave him amazing blow jobs- for weeks and weeks.

But they would probably head home tommorow so he better make the most of tonight. When she crawled onto his body she was completely naked. The feel of her was mind blowing.

Smoothing his hands up her thighs, then over her ass, he flipped her over on her back, staring deep into her eyes. "Will you hate me tommorow for this?"

"Only if this is a one time thing."

He thought about it for a minute and when he kissed her again it wasn't with a bit of worry or doubt left in his mind.

XXXXXXXX

Derek and Penelope were stopped at a traffic light when she looked out the window, saw a bride and groom coming out of a wedding chapel on the Strip, and then she burst into tears.

"Garcia-" Morgan said, in a worried way, as he caressed her back. "Shhh, shhh, darlin, its okay. Don't cry. Oh, shit. I'm sorry, okay? I screwed up and let things go too far tonight."

"Its not you." She motioned out the window. "They look so happy."

"Who? All I see are drunk tourists."

"Over there, under the neon sign."

"Everything is under a neon sign around here. Baby girl, look at me." He cupped her chin and turned her face to him, staring deep into her eyes. His thumb rubbed the corner of her mouth, where lipstick was smeared. "God," he murmured, forgetting all about what he had planned to say about their friendship being just fine still, "do you know you're the sexiest woman I ever met?" He chuckled to himself. "Of course you must. Not like I've hid it very well over the years...how I'm all about your sexy self. Oh...Garcia...about earlier...I was gonna tell you lets just forget it but..." his mouth moved closer to hers "how do you forget something like that?"

Slowly he coaxed her mouth into responding to his kiss and soon they were sharing a tender embrace in the back seat of the cab, exchanging soft kisses while their hands gently explored each other until she was nibbing on his ear and he was stifling a moan by biting hard on his bottom lip.

They ended up in his hotel room, curled up on the bed with him wearing pajama pants and her wearing his t-shirt, kissing and cuddling, his fingers running through her long blonde locks.

Penelope yawned. Embarrassed she covered her mouth and yelped. "Sorry! Its been such a long day and I'm jet lagged. But that's no excuse for yawning during the most exciting night of my life."

He gave her a soft smile and he stroked her cheek. "Sleep, angel. I ain't going no where."

Her bottom lip jutted out. "I don't wanna. When I wake up tomorrow...what if I'm just plain Jane, Garcia again and not Cinderella?"

"You could never be a plain Jane, woman. You got way too much flair." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And your prince will not disappear into the night, promise. This is my room, remember?"

Desperately she started to kiss him and try to get him to make love to her. Derek rolled Penelope onto her back, as he panted slightly and his hard body pressed against hers, he buried his face into the crook of her neck. "Make you a deal, okay? You show me a good morning like you've been promising for so long." Lifting his head and looking in her eyes he added "I want us both wide awake and raring to go...Its been such a long wait. Too long to not do this right."

A part of her didn't believe tommorow morning would be the way he described but the other part of her, somewhere around her heart, felt a pang of love for him in that moment. She gave him a gentle kiss and then they cuddled close and fell asleep, with his hands softly stroking her and her playing with the short hairs on his chest.

The next morning Penelope was right. They didn't wake up and make love. Instead they got jarred from sleep by Penelope's cell phone ringing. Groaning she answered it and asked "Who dares to wake the sleeping Goddess?"

"We got hitched!"

"Oh my Athena, get out!" Penelope squealed loudly and Derek grimaced.

"Woman, what the hell?"

"They got married! A real Vegas wedding! Isn't that romantic?" Into the phone she said "You are so in trouble for not inviting me."


	71. Vegas 4

**Vegas**

**Part 4**

A few hours later they all gathered in the lobby to head to the airport. JJ still looked sick to her stomach. Emily had on sunglasses and was holding a bucket full of casino chips. Reid had a neck full of hickies. Rossi was chatting up some woman with a big grin on his face. Hotch was in suit and talking to Strauss on his cell phone.

"Ma'am, I beg your pardon. It is not my responsibility to keep my agents from drinking in their off hours...Yes, I am well aware of the fraternal rules of conduct...Yes, my team has attended its fair share of sexual harassment conferences but to be fair those instances were not caused by either Agent Prentiss or Dr. Reid...I'm not a baby sitter! Ma'am, I'm about to go through a tunnel and so I'm gonna lose you." He hung up and glared at Reid. "Married in Vegas? Really? Who are you and what have you done with Dr. Reid?"

"Hotch, it was spontaneous." Reid gave Emily a loving look. "And I wouldn't change it for anything."

They had been married at sunrise in an outdoor ceremony after a short chat about how they both wanted to keep dating back in Quantico but things would probably get messy and there was no promises it would work out. Right when it seemed like Emily was about to say they should forget the whole thing Reid had suggested "You know, statistics show that Vegas weddings have a high ratio of success."

That was a lie but he was very horny, very much wanted to be with her again, and he felt sad over the fact that she was so down on love. Like it could never work out. He wanted to be the one man who made Emily believe she was worth being with for the rest of his life.

The rest of his life...wow...his head was spinning over going from being a bachelor to a husband in twenty four hours but this was Vegas, where anything could happen and usually did.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I love Vegas," Derek announced to no one in particular as he sat down on the jet, after putting Penelope's bag in the overhead compartment. Once he was in his seat he laid his head on her shoulder, looking up at her with wide eyes and asked "Don't you love this city, baby girl?"

"It has its charms."

"Mmm, it sure does. Garcia in Vegas, an experience not to be missed. We should come back here every year around this time."

She smirked. "But there is a whole wide world out there to explore. Is Vegas really that special?"

"Yeah," Prentiss said, staring at her husband.

"Yep," Reid agreed, lacing his fingers through hers.

Derek cupped Penelope chin, leaned close and gave her a gentle kiss, slowly pulling away after a moment. "Just admit it, you love Vegas as much as I do."

Hotch said "I hate you all," in a joking tone before shaking his head and staring out the window. "Just a dozen more years till I can get a full pension. That is if Strauss doesn't have my head for all you breaking the frat rules. They weren't just guidelines. They were rules. You would think that all those sexual harassment conferences would have gotten through to at least one of you."

"Hey," Rossi said "I've been good."

Hotch rolled his eyes. "Local cops we meet during cases count too."

"Oh," Rossi said "in that case, sorry."

JJ laughed. "It happens. I should know."

Hotch shook his head some more. His team was hopeless when it came to following the rules but they were too talented to break up- lucky for them all.

XXXXXX

"Just go home for the rest of the weekend," Hotch said, his tone tired, when they touched down in Washington.

"You don't gotta tell me twice," Derek said, happily, as he pulled his and Garcia's bags from the overhead container. "So what do you say, baby girl, wanna split a cab?"

Their eyes were locked on each other, lost in their own little world, sharing looks that said so much more than words could, when she nodded yes and he flashed her a big smile.

They had driven two beaura SVUs to the airport a couple days before when they left for Vegas so now Hotch took one to give JJ a ride home and then he went back to work to trade the vehicle in for his own. Rossi drove the other and took Emily and Reid to Emily's apartment. They had both rode the train into work so they didn't have cars sitting at work in the parking garage.

Rossi teased them about their impromptu marriage. "I didn't even know you two had anything going on. Sly devils, keeping it hushed up. I bet your mother is gonna love this, Prentiss."

Emily groaned. "My mother! I forgot all about her. No one, and I mean it, says a word to my mother about this till I'm ready."

Rossi joked "That should be some conversation when it happens. To be a fly on the wall."

Reid told Emily "All we have to do is prove our marriage will work and then we can go to her with a record of success that she can't argue with."

"My mother always finds something to hate about my choices but I could care less. I'm a grown woman and I get to get married in Vegas to one of my best friends if I damn well please." Looking in Reid's eyes she added "Best decision of my life."

"Okay," Rossi said "save the mushy talk for the honeymoon. Some of us around here don't have the best memories of being married but I'm sure it won't be like that for you two. When its right, you just sense it and I'm sensing rightness here right now."

"Rightness?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, I can tell these things," Rossi said "You two are gonna stick."

Reid and Prentiss shared a tender smile at each other after hearing that.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Home sweet home," Derek said as he carried their bags into her apartment. Setting them down, as she closed and locked the door, he turned to face her and asked "You weren't serious about getting married in Vegas, were you?"

"Nah but I do think it makes a great story. Its sorta like a chick flick come to life when two people get drunk and hitched there. My mind is still officially blown that Reid and Prentiss did that. Whoa! Uber crazy but they looked so happy this morning, didn't they?"

He pulled her close. "Love will do that," his mouth moved close to hers "to you."

Their kisses were slow and languid as they undressed each other, while moving toward her bedroom, pushing through the beaded curtain and falling onto the bed without ever letting go of each other. Soon he was laying heated kisses all over her body, murmuring words of praise and love, while she just said "Yes, yes, yes," over and over endlessly.

His mouth wrapped around her breast had her arching her back and crying in pleasure when she told him "Derek, I need you now, please, baby, now."

Raising up above her, he stared down into her eyes, as she ran her hand down his chest and stroked him a few times, making him moan deeply. "Baby girl," he dragged out her nickname.

Bringing his mouth near her ear he said "I love you so much, woman. You know that, right?" and then he thrust into her and put an end to all the unresolved sexual tension between them.

They had been dancing around it way too long. Now it was time to enjoy their natural chemistry, their beautiful friendship built on years of bonding and trust grown between them in times of trouble, and the love that neither of them had been able to deny for a long time.

For too long they had pretended that it was just a friendship sort of love but Vegas had proven that things between Morgan and Garcia were hot enough to make anywhere they went be dubbed Sin City. But was it really a sin when you were so in love?

If it was then so be it. He'd be a sinner forever if it meant being her man forever too.

THE END


	72. The Journal 1

**Note**- _This is a storyline I would love to see at the end of a season and then picked up at the start of the next season._

**The Journal**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part One**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Derek Morgan said, rushing to block the way of the armed men who were leading Penelope Garcia through the bullpen.

The frightened look on her face was all it took for him to know that whatever reason they were there, it wasn't good.

Holding his hand up, to stop them from passing by him, he asked "What is this all about?"

Quietly, as if she was about to break into tears, Penelope whispered "I have to go with them."

Derek glared at the men, just as one of them pulled out a badge and told him "Step aside, agent. This is a matter of national security and doesn't concern you."

"The hell it don't!" Derek cried, reaching out for Penelope. Taking her by the arm he looked deep into her eyes before adding "We're gonna figure this all out, okay? Don't worry. I'm not letting anyone keep you away from us..." Looking at one of the other agents he said "What's this all about?"

"That's confidential," the man replied. "Now, move aside. I have my orders." The man put his hand on his weapon, as if to emphasis his point, while the other one took out his phone and told Derek "This is over your pay grade. You can move aside or I can get security here to move you."

Knowing there was no way he could stop them, he said, gruffly "Give me one minute."

Looking back at Penelope he could see how upset she was. He hated to see her this way and know he couldn't instantly fix it for her. Wrapping her in a hug, he murmured against her hair "I'm gonna get to the bottom of all this and get you back where you belong. That is a promise, baby girl."

Tightly she hugged him back before stepping away and telling him "Don't stress, my love. I am stronger than you think."

She allowed the men to lead her out of the bullpen and onto the elevator, with Derek staring after them the whole time. "HOTCH!"

Hotch came out of his office.

Derek asked "Did you know about this?"

"About what?"

"Homeland Security just took away Garcia. What the hell is up? This ain't right!"

Reid, who was at his desk and had been watching everything, asked "Is she in trouble?"

Derek and Hotch shared a worried look before Hotch said "I'll see what I can find out," and went back into his office, leaving Derek standing there feeling bereft: his best friend had been hauled away by government agents and no one would tell him why.

All he knew was he needed her back. Panic raced through him at the thought that for some reason or another this might be the last time he ever saw her again.

XXXXXXXX

_Four months later_

Derek Morgan had never looked so bad in all his life. He had slight dark circles under his eyes, scruff on his cheeks because he didn't shave as often anymore, and his trademark smile no longer graced his pretty lips.

There wasn't anything to smile about, as far as he was concerned, as long as his best friend was away from home.

Hotch had learned that Garcia had been taken to a secret location to work with other hackers to try to track down the identity of the group named Anonymous, who had been wrecking havoc on the internet and also hacking the government.

She had not been allowed to contact anyone and there was no word on when she might come back to them again.

When she was first taken away Derek had feared she was being arrested for hacking but thank the Lord that Garcia hadn't been caught breaking any laws this time. He couldn't imagine what he would do if she was convicted- probably quit his job and go on the run with her just so he could have more time with her before they both got arrested and tossed in a cell for the rest of their lives.

She was like a limb to him, after all these years of working together and being such close friends. There was a time, long ago, when he would have laughed it off if anyone said he couldn't get by without Garcia but now it was no joke. Everyone knew that Derek needed her as much as he needed air, water, and food.

Maybe he needed her more than any of that, actually.

Being without her for months had put him in quite the funk. He was scared about how long it would be until she was able to return to the BAU. Often he would find himself staring at the glass doors leading to the bullpen, just praying she would come walking through in her bright clothes, funky glasses and silly barrettes pinning up her hair.

But everyday came and went without his woman coming back home. Nothing scared him more than the idea that Homeland Security could keep her for years if they wanted to- they were beyond the reach of any court, any man, any other agency. There was nothing Derek could do to change this. He feared Penelope was lonely for all of them.

It was cruel to make her live without any contact with the team for month after month.

The emptiness in him deepened with every passing moment when he couldn't text her, see her on his computer screen, flirt with her on the phone, visit her office, take her to lunch or a movie...she had become such a part of his everyday life, the best part of his world.

"Conference room in five," Hotch announced, as he walked past Derek's office door.

Sliding the leather bound notebook into his go bag, Derek sighed heavily before leaving his office to join the other team members in hearing the details of their latest assignment.

Another case. Drudging through it as usual. Nothing seemed to matter to him as long as Garcia was away. There were no more bright moments to lighten his day. He missed the sound of her voice the worse. If he could just hear her voice again it wouldn't be half as hard to wait out her return.

And, make no mistake, he was waiting for her. He always had been and always would be- even if she had stopped waiting on him years before.

XXXXXXXX

"He doesn't know, does he?" Rossi asked Hotch

Derek had just snapped at a local cop and then stormed out of the briefing.

Hotch watched Derek exit the police station, while speaking to Rossi, "I thought he could use the surprise right about now."

"We could all use some good news. It's been a rough summer."

Hotch nodded, before focusing again on the case, ordering Rossi to join Derek in walking the crime scene. Whenever Derek was in a mood they sent him off to do something physical because otherwise he drove them nuts with all his pent up aggression.

"Drew the short straw again," Rossi muttered, ruefully, before walking off to find Derek.

XXXXXXXXXX

Penelope Garcia was getting settled into her office. She hated the way things had been moved around. The changes were very slight but she could tell someone had been in here: touching her pens, taking down her photos and putting them back on her board in the wrong places, moving around her troll dolls.

She tended to be very obsessive/compulsive about her space and wouldn't be able to relax till things were perfectly in order again.

A few adjustments and she let out a happy sigh. It was good to be back home. Over the summer she had spent way too many hours alone wondering if she would ever return to the BAU, her friends (really more like family) and her boyfriend, Kevin. With each hacker she was able to catch Homeland Security only became more and more impressed with her skills and would want her to catch another and then another.

Sometimes it felt as if she would have to rid the whole world of hackers before she could come home again.

Out of the blue, just as suddenly as they had commissioned her for the job, her handler had walked into her office and told her to gather her things; she was done. Relief had stole through her. There had been times when she had wondered if it would be years and years before she could get back to her regular life.

Now she was home. She could hardly wait to see everyone again. A smile graced her lips as she waited for her phone to ring.

Finally it did and she snatched it up. Breathlessly, she answered it "Derek..."

"Hello."

"Oh, sir," she said to Hotch. "It's only you."

"_Only_ me, yes."

"Sorry! You know what I mean...I'm glad to speak to you, of course. I just hoped...thought this might be my man... How has he been?"

"Difficult to be around would be putting it mildly. You've been sorely missed."

Her cheeks heated. "Well that makes a lady feel good. The sentiments are returned tenfold. So Derek knows I'm home then?"

She had hoped he would call her as soon as he found out. He had been the person she had missed the most intensely and the deepest, right down to her soul...with all of her lying, cheating heart.

Hotch responded "I thought you might want to break that to him yourself, in person."

"OH!" She grinned widely. So Derek didn't know about her return yet. That changed everything. It would have been disappointing if he didn't want to talk to her right away and would have made her wonder if he didn't miss her that much...maybe he had been busy with a new girlfriend. Maybe he was in love now. Distractedly, she said to Hotch, "Yes, yes, that sounds like a plan."

"We'll be back by nine thirty."

"Garci has never looked forward to anything more in all her lives."

"Lives?"

"My parents were hippies. They were big on reincarnation. "

"I see...I'm glad you're back with us again. Welcome home."

"Thank you, sir."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone with a sweet smile on her face. Derek would be home within just a few hours. She could hardly wait to see him again.


	73. The Journal 2

**The Journal**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part Two**

Derek Morgan walked down the hall at the BAU, go bag slung over his shoulder, with a scowl on his lips. He hadn't found much reason to smile for months now- ever since Penelope Garcia had been taken away by Homeland Security.

It had taken a few days before he had even learned, for certain, that she was not the target of an investigation but instead she was helping HS to track down hackers who were getting into government databases. Garcia was the best and if she couldn't find these hackers then they couldn't be found.

He had hoped she would come back to the team quickly but the days had turned to weeks and weeks to months. His mood sunk with every passing moment till now he was grouchy more often than not, and felt worn down all the time. He slept roughly, when he managed to sleep at all, and had no enthusiasm for life in general.

The little things got on his nerves more than ever.

He couldn't be happy for JJ- who had gotten engaged recently and was quickly planning a wedding- or for Reid, who was finally seeing someone. Nor could he manage any excitement over the fact that his mother and nephews had come for a visit over the summer or that the team had been nationally recognized for their work on a high profile case.

All he wanted was to have his best friend back home. She couldn't enjoy being holed up somewhere working day and night for Homeland Security- away from her friends and her boyfriend, freaking Lynch. Derek had mixed feelings about that guy but, in all honestly, it wasn't really about Lynch and his sloppy clothes, greasy diet, childish hobbies and jealous streak, Derek just hated the fact that Penelope ever fell for anyone who wasn't him.

It had taken years to admit to himself how deep his feelings for her went but he had started to do it in the summer of 2007. Now it was five years later and he hadn't ever really made her believe how much he cared for her. They were good buddies and he treasured that but she didn't get that his heart was filled with her, every inch of him was filled with aching need for her.

He was a man of secrets so he kept that to himself, since she had a boyfriend for the last four and half years.

Though Derek might not be able to have Penelope the way he wanted to have her he still longed to have her home here with him and the rest of the team. He knew she had to be lonely, sad and missing them all wherever she was.

He hated that he couldn't fix this for her. When the Homeland Security agents had dragged her away Derek had swore _"I'm gonna get to the bottom of all this and get you back where you belong. That is a promise, baby girl_," but he hadn't been able to keep his word to her.

There was nothing he could do to bring her back to them...to him. All he could do was sit around and wait this out. Being helpless this way nearly drove him nuts.

If not for his journal, which he wrote in as if writing letters to her, he would have surely lost his job for snapping on one too many people. Often he poured his heart into his journal as a way to release his pent up frustrations and fears. Since he was writing it as if he was speaking directly to Penelope, it helped to make him feel closer to her in a very small way. It might not be much but it was all he had till she came home again.

Derek noticed a light on in his office. Raising an eyebrow, he moved to his slightly ajar door and pushed it all the way open, gasping softly when he found Penelope sitting behind his desk, typing on a keyboard as she looked at a computer screen.

He dropped his bag off his shoulder, a wide grin curving his lips, his heart coming back to life. His words rumbled out from deep in his chest when he spoke "Woman, you are a sight for sore eyes."

She jumped, surprised he was there, and turned her attention to him, with a hand over her heart. "Mon cher, j'ai manque vous."

Slowly he walked toward her, amazed at the sight of her being there. Somehow she looked even more gorgeous to him now. Opening his arms, he ordered "Get your behind over here _right now_."

She rushed into his embrace.

Once he had her back in his arms, he let out a relieved sigh. Life made some sort of sense again.

XXXXXXXXXXX

**One month later**

_My love, I have missed you,_ were the first words Penelope had said to Derek after months apart and they were some of the truest words ever spoken between them. Yet they also still

left so much unsaid. She had missed Derek in a way much more profoundly than she had missed JJ, any of her other close friends, or even Kevin, her long term boyfriend.

Usually Penelope could keep herself busy with her life so much so that she could manage to not think too often or too hard about her feelings for Derek. Because when she did it only made her heart hurt. There was a time when she had wanted so much to be his one and only love but she had matured, snapped out of her fantasy and realized that he was very happy with their flirty friendship as is and didn't want more from them.

He slept with other women- never her- and that said all she needed to know.

Later...when he tried to put moves on her...she was too burned to believe he really wanted her and had ran away from him, over and over in different ways, out of fear. Ran straight to Kevin, to something safer and saner and much less risky.

She had fallen for Kevin, loved Kevin deeply at one time.

But over the last few months she had come to realize that she had never stopped loving Derek and it wasn't something she could deny anymore.

That first day she had been back he had cupped one cheek in his hand and stared down into her eyes for a very long minute, giving her a look filled with happiness and love. It was such an intimate moment that her heart had leapt to her throat. It almost seemed as if he was seeing her through new eyes that day but then he had stepped back and said "We should go tell everyone our favorite tech Goddess is back."

"Sure, Hot Stuff."

And the moment had passed. Now it was over a month later. Being home was wonderful but hard at the same time. There had been a strain between her and Kevin ever since she came back. Penelope knew he wanted things to go back to how they were before...it was only normal for him to expect them to hole up in bed for a marathon sex session to celebrate her return but she just couldn't do it.

Even if she wasn't going to be with Derek, she couldn't be with Kevin either. It broke her heart and scared the hell out of her to face a future without romantic love...to give up on all those years building something with Kevin...but she didn't want him to touch her anymore. It just felt wrong now.

She was seriously screwed up inside. Homeland Security had come in, shook up her life and left it in shambles, just because she had awesome hacking skills. For once she wished that she wasn't the best of the best so that she hadn't been picked to track down Anonymous. Now her life was a total mess.

When she was away she had been lonely. Now that she broke up with Kevin, would she be lonely for all the rest of her life?

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What, kid?" Derek asked Reid, as Reid gave him a knowing look, right after they had agreed to go to the movies.

"Aren't you gonna call Garcia and see if she wants to join us?"

"She's probably busy with Lynch." Derek grunted, as he often did after saying that guy's name. At least when he wasn't around Penelope. When he was near her Derek would not dare let it show that Lynch bothered him in the slightest.

"Oh. Is tonight when he's moving his things out?"

"Say what? They broke up?"

Reid froze. "Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Did they break up?"

Reid looked all around the bullpen, as if he hoped someone would come and rescue him from this conversation. "Um, I don't know. How would I know? If it's not in a book then I'm lost about it." He shrugged one shoulder.

Derek rubbed his chin, mulling it over. "You're not messing with me, are you? Cause I will slap you silly."

"All I know is what I overheard her and Emily talking about...that Garcia told Kevin to come get his things and she wasn't sure if she could handle this but she had to do it."

Derek nodded, getting a far away look in his eye.

Reid added "You should go see if she wants to talk about it."

"If she wanted to talk about it, we'd be talking about it. You gonna be ready to head out in thirty?"

"We're still going?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Derek headed off to his office. Once he was alone he took the journal out and started to write in it. It was the one place where he could pour out every thought, fear and feeling...as if speaking directly to Penelope.

The journal kept him sane in moments when he couldn't say all he wanted to his girl.


	74. The Journal 3

**The Journal**

**Morgan and Garcia**

**Part Three**

"I don't know why I'm crying," Penelope said, weeks later, as she sat on the couch in Derek's office, late one evening after he had returned from a case. She dabbed at her eyes before giving Derek a pleading look.

Cupping her chin, he said "Sweetheart, it's okay. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Know how I was so madly in love with Kevin? Not so much anymore. It's over with him. Kaput." She quickly added "It was my choice! And I'm okay with it!" Letting out a shuddering breath, she whispered "I wanted to tell you before now but..." her eyes narrowed as she saw the look on his face "you knew! I hate profilers!"

Penelope jerked away from Derek. They shared a long look. Her shoulders slumped, as she relaxed again.

"Of course, you knew," she muttered. "Can I hide anything from you ever?"

Ignoring her question, he asked "Do you want to talk about it? Was it the assignment for Homeland?"

"That, yes, and everything. I just couldn't do it anymore. It started to feel like the biggest charade."

She kept staring at him with a look that seemed to beg him to understand what she wasn't saying but he couldn't be sure he was reading her right. His mind could be playing tricks on him- considering how much he lived and breathed to believe she would one day leave Lynch and tell Morgan that it was because she realized she couldn't deny what was between them any longer.

"I'm so proud of you for being brave enough to get out of something that wasn't working for you anymore."

"Ha, yeah, brave, that's me. Garci the brave." She stood up, walked to his desk, and grabbed a kleenex, to wipe her face.

Derek followed her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So why tonight?"

She turned around and raised an eyebrow.

He asked "Why are you telling me all this tonight?"

"Oh...I just felt ready to share it finally. Guess I overestimated myself, since I'm a blubbering mess now. I'm not half as strong as I'd like to think, huh?"

"Hey, hey, hey, there is no way I will believe anyone or anything can threaten the strength I know you possess inside of yourself. Have faith, angel. Things can always get better." He pulled her into a hug.

For a moment, she relaxed against him before tensing slightly and asking "What's that?"

He turned to follow her gaze, seeing that his journal had fallen out of his go bag and was lying open. Quickly, he moved to snatch it up and close it. "That's...uh, notes."

"For the case?"

Just the look in her eye told him she knew better but she would allow him to get away with the fib if that is what he wanted. Like so many nights before he could once again play it safe and send her away, nothing significant would be changed...nothing risked.

Letting out a soft sigh, he gazed at the journal for a moment saying "Nah, not for work. This is as personal as it gets."

His thumb worked over the top of the notebook, absentmindedly rubbing it.

Penelope whispered "I shouldn't pry then."

He set the journal on his desk. A small smile came to his lips as he brought a hand up to caress her cheek, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "Baby girl, you couldn't pry. I want you to know everything about me. How I take my eggs-"

"Sunny side up so you can dip your toast in the yolk."

He chuckled. "Lookey here, someone has been paying attention."

"To you, always."

"Good, good. I don't want that to ever change. We are so much a part of each other." He glanced at the journal and then focused on her face again. "That's why I needed that journal so much. When I couldn't talk to you, in a way I still could tell you everything I was feeling, through that...I know that for a techie genius like you, pen and paper might seem pretty old school but it works for me. Sometimes I needed to talk to you so bad, but all I could do was write you and get it out that way."

More tears flooded her eyes and dripped down her face.

He murmured "Don't cry," as he wiped the tears away.

"Do you know how much I love you?"

"Believe me, it's mutual." His forehead rested against hers, as their breaths mingled. "I think it's about time I work up the nerve to start telling you all the things I told you in that journal."

Her hands rose and cupped his face. "Derek, am I imagining..."

"Hush, just go with it," he told her and she did, raising her lips to meet his in a gentle kiss. When they broke apart, they stared at each other with wonder in their eyes until he asked "Have I ever told you how damn glad I am that you're back home?"

"Did I ever tell you I have a secret blog all about how I heart Derek Morgan?"

He laughed, happily. "Strauss better never find that blog."

"Ohhhhhhh, no one will ever find it unless the oracle wants it to be found."

A wide smile curved his lips as he caressed her cheek again. "Ready to go home?"

"Already?" she asked, disappointed.

"Don't you think it's about time?"

"It_ has_ been a long day."

"More than just one _long_ day. Years of them. Too many days going our separate ways at the end of the night. Time to do something about that."

She gave him a knowing look. "Are you trying to seduce me out of my thong?"

"Mmm, woman, keep talking like that and I will."

"Go ahead. Make my day."

"Silly, come on, let's go back to my place and just chill. We have four months apart to make up for." Grabbing his journal, he shoved it in his go bag, hoisted it on his shoulder and then wrapped an arm around Penelope, leading her toward the door of his office.

Hours later, with her head on his shoulder, she whispered "I've never been so happy in all my lives."

"You just wait. It only gets better from here on out."

"Is that a promise, my love?"

"With all my heart," he whispered, taking her lips in another kiss, a sense of contentment he had never known before washing over him as he knew they were finally on the same page for once.

THE END


End file.
